The Sound of Silence
by Jac Danvers
Summary: On the eve of the German invasion of Hungary, Anna Zellner was a Jewish shop girl who wanted nothing more than to keep her head down and her family safe. She never thought that a tie would draw her into a dangerous world of secrets and spies. A world where her only hope is a bumbling British attache. Edwin Jarvis/Anna Jarvis with a healthy dose of Howard Stark
1. Fear

**Disclaimer:** Agent Carter is not mine, although I've developed the character of Anna in my head based on the few bits of information we have on her.

* * *

 **Historical Note:** I just wanted to provide a bit of a historical backdrop on the Holocaust in Hungary for reference- be warned, I am by no means a historian (I'm actually a biologist), so this is based primarily on the research I did for this story. Through the start of 1944, Hungary was allied with the Axis powers, and thus retained some degree of "autonomy" in terms of how the Jews were treated. Early in the war, foreign Jews in Hungary were captured by the Nazis and either sent to labor camps, to the front lines to dig trenches for the German and Hungarian army, or killed. However, Hungarian Jews were relatively safe for the duration of the war. Although Jews were removed from positions of power in Hungary and were forbidden from marrying Christians, they did not have to wear the Star of David armband, and were protected from deportation. The Hungarian army was largely devastated during the Battle of Stalingrad and the invasion of Russia. As a result, in early 1944, Mikelos Horthy, the leader of Hungary, began secret negotiations with the Americans and British to end Hungary's participation in the war and prevent the Soviets from taking over their country. Had they been successful, the Hungarian Jews may have remained safe for the duration of the war. Unfortunately, this was not to be. In March of 1944, the Nazis invaded Hungary, and from March to July of 1944, half a million Hungarian Jews were deported to Auschwitz, of which 90% were killed immediately upon arrival.

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 **Fear**

One, two, three _…_

 _Concentrate on the stiches._

One, two, three…

 _Don't let them see that you're scared._

Three per centimeter, don't lose count.

 _Don't lose hope._

One, two, three…

Steadying her shaking hands, Anna Zellner peered over the uniform that needed altering. The Wehrmacht soldier was chatting casually with Herr Acker, her boss and the owner of the small menswear shop on the first floor of the Grand Budapest Hotel. Nothing unusual- just another customer. But the soldier's eyes danced around the room, carefully observing for anything that might be… off.

And God, if he only took a closer look, she was done for. A Jewish girl hemming the pants of an American GI's uniform, in the middle of not-so-secret secret peace talks. She'd told Herr Acker that taking their business would only bring them trouble. He'd laughed off her fears.

"Ach, child, you worry too much. When I left Germany, after the Great War, I said to myself, 'Fritz, become a businessman. Don't throw yourself back into politics.' And so I opened my shop, and I sold my clothes to Hungarians and Germans, Russians and Americans. If I turned away every German enemy who came to my shop, who would I do business with? Don't worry your lovely head with matters of the world. Just make sure that hem is even."

It was easy to say. "Don't worry your head." But pretty words meant nothing today. Her mother was dead. Her brother, once a musician with a bright future as a concert violinist, toiled in a munitions factory on the outside of town. Alongside him was her father. Before the war, he had been foreman of the factory. Now… now he was relegated to working the line because of their religion. And her cousins in Poland- Zsofi, Itzhak, Ryka- hadn't responded to her letters in almost six months. Last she heard they were moving into Warsaw- "the Jewish section," Zsofi had cheerfully written. But darker rumors were moving through with the American and British troops, and she didn't have high hopes that their letters would resume.

Ever.

So she shifted the cloth in her hand, watching the soldier with one eye as she ensured the insignias that indicated the pants were American were hidden. Herr Acker shook the soldier's hand with a broad smile, asking him to wait a moment, and stepped into the back room. "I see the wrinkles on your forehead, Anna," he said cheerfully, patting her on the back. "Jürgen is the son of a dear friend in Munich. We'll be stepping out to lunch, and then I'm going to give him a tour of the city. Can you tend the counter while I'm gone?"

Anna nodded, forcing a smile in return. She was afraid any word, any peep might expose her. Draw the soldier's presence. Herr Acker might claim to know this man, and Jews might be safe for the time being in Hungary, but she'd learned to be more sparing with her trust and not take anything for granted.

These days anyone could betray you.

OOO

The afternoon passed slowly. She finished the GI's hems and returned the pants to the back room, hiding them well out of sight, before slowly picking her way through the rest of the mending. Just as she began to replace a cracked button on a dress shirt, the bells above the door rang. Pushing herself into the corner, she tried desperately to see the customer before they saw her. No uniform- not necessarily a good sign, but promising. Perhaps just a business man passing through? He was tall and lanky, with a hint of a frown on his face.

"Can I help you?" she asked quietly.

"I'm… I'm look… I'm need…" he stumbled over the Hungarian, his language skills atrocious.

" _Wie kann ich lhnen helfen?_ " she asked again, in German.

"Oh thank God. Please accept my apologies for butchering your language," the man replied, a quirk of a smile passing over his lips. His German, though fluent, was not the tongue of a native speaker. "I don't think any of us realized how far from home this war would take us."

She nodded slowly, looking him over with suspicion. His suit had been well-tailored once upon a time, but showed signs of wear- fraying at the end of the sleeves, a button hanging on by its last thread. His face seemed pleasant, though a bit lost- maybe a bit over his head. The Anna of a few years ago would make conversation, smile prettily, maybe even bat her eyes a little bit. But that girl was long gone.

When he realized she wasn't going to speak again, he seemed flummoxed. "I… er… I'm looking for a tie."

"Any particular color?" she asked, hoping he'd let her chose. Things moved much quicker when the gentlemen who visited admitted they couldn't match two colors without the help of their wives.

"Well, I was hoping something that would match this?" he asked, rather than stated, pulling at her suit. It tugged at her heart a little, seeing him so lost. He couldn't have been much older than her, after all. "My mother would kill me if she saw the state of this suit. But we can't wear our uni… well, that doesn't really matter does it?"

He'd caught himself, but he had already said too much. He was one of the Brits or Americans here for the negotiations. And no matter how sweet or lost he seemed, she had only one goal: to get him out of here. Herr Acker may not care who he did business with, but that German soldier he was carousing through Budapest with certainly would. She had a family to protect.

Browsing the tie collection, she gave him a once over, taking in the khaki suit and white dress shirt underneath. She pulled a red tie with a gold stripe and a multi-hued dark green, holding them up to the sleeve of his suit. "Either would look fine."

"Which do you prefer?" he asked, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, an almost shy smile on his face.

Glancing out the lobby door, wishing the man would pick one and leave, she quickly said. "The green. The red is nice, but the green is made of better fabric. It will last longer."

"Green it is then!" he replied jubilantly, his worries seemingly disappearing now that he had a tie that matched his suit. She could feel her eyes rolling, could only wish her biggest problem was finding a tie that matched.

He picked up the tie, looking at it intensely before turning to her. "It matches your eyes."

Anna shrugged, "Perhaps. Is there anything else I could help you with?"

The man seemed taken aback by her brusque tone. "Uh… no… no. I think that will be all…"

She took the tie from his hands, wrapping it in tissue paper and placing it in a brown paper bag. "Five pengõ, please."

"Have… have I done something to offend you?" the man asked, stammering. "If so, I _do_ apologize. Were you closing? You must have been closing. I worked in a shop as a boy, and I used to hate when customers came in when I was trying to—"

Outside the door, she saw Herr Acker return with the German soldier. They were walking slowly, but it was clear they were heading back into the shop. She held up her hands. "Stop! Just… stop apologizing. Please, just take your tie and leave," she begged desperately.

He turned slightly, following her line of vision to the German soldier. His eyes widened briefly as he put everything together. "You know?"

"Your comrades are not particularly discrete," she hissed. "Even you nearly let it slip. And while you and your friends might enjoy prancing around Budapest making your backroom deals and playing war games, some of us prefer staying alive. Things may appear fine on the surface here in Budapest, better than elsewhere, but it's a lie. Things are not good anywhere. And what you're doing right now? It's going to make things much worse for my people when you go back to your safe little homes. So I am asking you, for the last time, to please leave."

He stared at her, mouth gaping, before picking up the package and leaving, head down, trying to remain inconspicuous.

It wasn't until she reached home that she realized he never paid for the tie.

OOO

"The Soviets have made gains in the east," Anna heard her father say over the newspaper, eating his toast and the eggs she'd managed to haggle down in price from a passing farmer.

"Germany will not last much longer. Not since Stalingrad," Zoli added, plate already empty. "Their army is decimated."

Her father looked up at her, grinning broadly for what seemed to be the first time in years. "You see, Anna. It will not be much longer now. The war will end, and we will find your cousins. And once I get my job back, you can continue your education. Wouldn't that be lovely?"

She paused over the plate she was preparing for herself, in awe of her father and brother's inability to see the truth. So what if Germany lost the war? Did they think the Soviets would be that much better?

Rumors, rumors, rumors. Of rape, of death, of villages destroyed on the eastern front. The Soviets were no better than the Germans, and anyone who believed they were was in for a nasty surprise. Unless the Americans and Brits stepped in and found a way to liberate Hungary without leaving it to Stalin, there was no reason to hope.

Anna looked down at the plate, stomach churning at the site of the food.

"Here, Zoli, finish mine. I'm going to be late to work."

Wrapping her thickest jacket around her shoulders to hold off the late February chill, she rushed toward the hotel. She could not listen to anymore false optimism.

OOO

He was waiting at the door when she arrived.

"Before you say anything, I'm just here to pay the money I owe you. Nothing more."

Anna nodded, unlocking the door to the shop. The man grabbed the handle before she could, holding the door open for her. "Thank you," she said softly.

"I've talked to the others. Asked them not to bring down any more of their uniforms. We should not be putting you in any more danger that you're already in."

She nodded, ringing the tie up again on the register. "I appreciate that…"

"Edwin. Edwin Jarvis," he offered.

"Thank you, Edwin," she said, tucking the money into the register. Edwin nodded his head with a small smile, and began to walk out.

As his hand reached for the door, Anna's eyes darted to the clock. Seven in the morning- Herr Acker would not be in for another half-hour, and the lobby was normally deserted until eight. There was time. No one would see if she…

"Wait!"

She was acting on sheer impulse, but this man… Edwin. He seemed honest enough. Forthright. He'd returned to pay for the tie, despite her rudeness. Had been kind enough to warn the other soldiers off the shop. Perhaps...

Edwin turned around, seemingly surprised. "Yes?"

She stepped out from behind the counter, wringing her hands. "The peace talks… are they…" She couldn't say the words. Her father and brother had hope, but she had lost faith long ago, when the letters from Poland stopped and the rumors began. "Is there any chance…"

"It seems promising," Edwin said softly. "I work as an attaché to General Montgomery, and the chaps from America seem like good sorts. Horthy realizes its over- Mussolini's gone, Hitler's been pushed out of Russia since Stalingrad. Your government wants to get out now, be protected from the fallout."

"The Soviets," she added. He nodded in confirmation.

"I don't wish to get your hopes up…"

Anna shook her head. "No… no, that's fine. Things may not be good here, but Horthy has shielded us from the… the… unpleasantness that's been going on elsewhere."

He stared at her for a moment before it fell into place. "You're Jewish, aren't you? That's why you were so concerned about soldier yesterday."

"Just because Horthy has protected us so far, doesn't mean we are safe. We've heard rumors of what has happened elsewhere. My cousins in Poland… they disappeared months ago. Papa thinks it's just the war, but he is optimistic. He doesn't take stock in the rumors."

"Nothing has been confirmed," Edwin said firmly. "They appear to be rumors right now, but I won't lie to you. We've heard these rumors all over the continent. And if it had only been one or two people, I might believe they were just rumors-"

"But it's everywhere," she finished. "That's what I thought."

An uncomfortable tension took over the room as silence pervaded. Beyond the doors of the shop, she could hear the sounds of the lift moving up and down, delivering passengers going about their normal lives. A bellhop moved through the lobby with a cart filled to the brim with luggage, guests on their way home following close behind. It reminded her of a time before the war, when she was a normal girl, travelling with her cousins through the Polish countryside on vacation.

"Thank you, Herr Jarvis," she finally said, breaking the silence. "I appreciate your candor. You have my promise that I won't speak of this again."

"I wish I had better news," he said with a tenuous smile. "I'll come back if I hear anything."

Before she could reply, he squeezed her hand gently, slipping back into the din of the hotel lobby.

OOO

The week passed slowly, and February turned into March. Anna found her mind drifting away from the safety of the back room to the suites three, four, five floors above her, where the peace talks were grinding along. She found herself peering into the lobby every time she moved about the shop, hoping to see Edwin returning with more news. He'd lit an inkling of hope in her, though she tried to keep it at bay with a reminder that nothing was set in stone. That he hadn't returned with good news.

 _There is a chance, Anna. Perhaps he hasn't returned because they are finalizing the agreement._

"Head in the clouds again, Anna?" Herr Acker asked from his spot at the register, looking up from the book he read to pass the time. Glancing at his face, he saw it red from mirth, a broad smile adding to the creases on his wrinkled face. "You've been daydreaming all week, my dear girl. Any news I should know about?"

She shook her head quickly, focusing once again on dressing the window mannequins with the new suits they'd received from Munich. The fabric was rough, nothing like what they received before the war, but it was elegantly cut. These suits would find a buyer, but would be in the trash heap the minute the war ended.

"I'm sorry, Herr Acker. I'm fine," she replied, buttoning a white dress shirt on the lifeless figure. "My father and brother have been working double shifts at the factory, so I've been picking up their chores at home, on top of my own."

"Such a life for a young woman!" the man replied, shaking his head. "When my wife and I were your age, we were tearing through Berlin! Stole my father's motorcar- he was the first in our neighborhood to own one, you know- and made a dash for the countryside! You should be out and about enjoying the world, Anna. Not here passing your time with an old man at death's door."

Hiding behind the mannequin, she rolled her eyes. Herr Acker, though nearly sixty, was healthy as an ox, and they both knew it. "When the war is over, Herr Acker," she replied softly.

"That's what we all said after the last war. And where are we now? Another war. When one ends, another starts. War makes profits, and profits drive the world. Do not put your life on hold because of the war, my dear girl."

She shook her head, focusing on tying a burgundy tie around the mannequin's neck instead. Behind her the bells above the door rang.

"Jürgen! You do an old man good, stopping by to visit me again!" Herr Acker called across the room. She froze. The German soldier had returned.

 _Focus Anna,_ she thought, numb fingers struggling to pull the silk fabric into the Windsor knot.

"Now Anna, here is a young man who knows how to enjoy life. I don't think I introduced you two last time you visited. Obserschütze Jürgen Koenig, this is Anna Zellner, my seamstress. Be nice to her- your uniform looks like it has seen better days," Herr Acker joked, nudging Jürgen forward. "This woman works miracles on moth holes."

Curling her hands into her skirt so he wouldn't see her shaking, she turned to the duo, nodding her head briefly. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Obserschütze Koenig."

"And you as well, Fraulein." There was a smile on his face, but it seemed brittle. Hollow. "I may take Herr Acker up on that offer of repairs, if you'd be willing to take a look at my uniform?"

"Of course," Anna replied, plastering her own fake smile on her face. "Is there anything we can help you with today?"

With one last glance - _was he studying her?_ \- he pulled a folded newspaper clipping out of his pocket. "This man was seen just outside of Budapest within the last week. He's an American-" he spat out the words, as if it were a curse- "industrialist. He manufactures weapons, and may be trying to incite rebellion against Regent Horthy and the Führer. We believe he may be staying in Budapest, and are asking all hotels to be on the lookout for him. His name is Howard Stark."

The man in the paper was handsome, there was no denying that, with a mischievous smirk and a beautiful woman on either arm. "I'm sorry, I haven't seen him," she said.

"Are you certain, Fraulein Zellner?" he responded quickly. She could feel his eyes boring into her, not a bit of kindness behind them. A flicker of fear ran over her spine that Jürgen knew her secret.

"I am quite certain," she said softly, controlling the tremble in her voice. "I have never seen that man."

"Nor have I, but we will keep a lookout. Now, Jürgen, can I tempt you with a beer, or are you on duty? You'll mind the shop, Anna?" Before the soldier could respond, Herr Acker was leading him out the door, shooting her a look of concern. As the door shut behind them, Anna finally let out the breath she'd been holding in.

OOO

"What floor miss?" the bellhop asked, closing the gate behind them.

What floor indeed? Anna hadn't entirely thought this plan through as she flipped the sign on the shop door to "closed," pretending to have deliveries to make before she ate lunch. All she knew was that this American, Stark, was likely part of the peace talks. What other business could he have in Hungary, a country that was, until now, allied with America's enemy? No, Howard Stark had to be in this hotel. And if he was in danger, every person in the hotel was as well.

"Fourth floor, please," she replied, adjusting the pile of crisply ironed shirts in her hand. She'd grabbed them from a display, her alibi. Although normally customers returned to the shop for their clothing, it was not unheard of for her to make deliveries.

The elevator slowly rose, the occasional squeak and bump jarring the small compartment. The bellhop made polite small talk, happily jabbering through a one-sided conversation that required only the occasional "yes" or "no" from her. Another passenger joined them on the third floor, before they finally came to a stop at her destination. Thanking the boy, she stepped off into the corridor, and walked away from the elevator shaft, head held high with confidence.

At least until she turned the corner.

Shoulders sinking, she took in the corridor filled with doors, each looking exactly the same except for the number on the front. With three more floors above, how on earth was she supposed to find Edwin Jarvis? She leaned against the wall, head resting against the pristine wallpaper. Perhaps she should have just waited until he came down again. She hadn't seen him at all the past week- he had to leave his room eventually. It was safe in the shop. She could have caught his eye, led him away from the crowds to pass along the information. If she told Herr Acker it was about a date, the old man would have shoved her out the door after Edwin.

Why had this seemed like such a good idea in the first place? She didn't belong here, in the middle of a war, playing at spies and heroes. She was a Jewish shop girl, trying to keep her head down, away from the insanity that erupted around her. Who was she, to be protecting this idiot American millionaire, gallivanting around the middle of a war zone?

She had been so impulsive. It was the quickest way to get herself killed. No, she would pretend she never saw the paper, never met Edwin Jarvis. She would hide one or two of the shirts before going back downstairs, pretend they had been delivered, and then return with the rest. There was a plausible story- the other guests had stepped out, forgotten their delivery was coming.

This was not her fight. This was not worth losing her life.

Plan set, she tucked two shirts behind a potted plant to pick up later. Hands shaking, she returned to the elevator, pressed the call button, and waited for it to return.

Behind her a door closed. Two voices emerged, speaking a language that wasn't immediately clear to her. Shrinking in on herself, Anna tried to inconspicuously eavesdrop as they approached the elevator. English. She knew a bit, the very basics. Enough to understand that, when the second man addressed the other as "Mister Stark," she had bypassed finding Edwin and gone straight to the very man being hunted.

She moved against the wall, allowing them to pass her and stand in front of the elevator doors. As they stood chatting, she recognized the second man from the newspaper- an envoy from Sweden, who had once hosted a very elegant party to celebrate the arts in Budapest. She'd dressed some of the guests that night. Even if Stark didn't understand her, he would… if she went through with this.

 _Just go back to the shop. Pretend you never knew. You'll be safe. Safe enough…_

 _Or you could let your only hope of a peaceful future be destroyed when Stark is caught._

The sound of the elevator approaching forced her to make her decision quickly. Anna approached the duo quietly, pushing her fears aside. She stood between the two and whispered, "Herr Stark, you are discovered. There is no time Six o'clock. The rooftop. Bring Herr Jarvis."

* * *

 **If I said this started out as a one-shot, would you believe me? By the time I got about half-way through writing this (it's like 3/4 done), I had hit 12,000 words. I love the idea of telling Anna's story, and trying to capture Edwin Jarvis's personality is a fun challenge. He may be a bit out of character here- on Agent Carter he often comes across as bumbling, but we know he was a soldier, or at least associated with the army, in World War II, so he must have had some training. Feedback on characterization is always appreciated. I've used a bit of German throughout here- I used to speak a bit as a kid, as my dad's German, but it's been some years since I've dragged it out. If you catch something wrong, do let me know! Feedback and con/crit is always greatly appreciated! Best- Jac**


	2. Uncertainty

**Disclaimer: Agent Carter still isn't mine. But it is renewed, so that pretty much makes my life!**

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

 **Uncertainty**

The temperature had fallen below freezing as darkness stretched over the hotel. A winter storm was likely moving in, though it would be several hours before the snow began. She huddled as near the door as she dared, wrapping her coat tightly around her shoulders and regretting that she'd forgotten gloves that morning. The door was near the edge of the roof, and as unlikely as it seemed, she feared that someone might notice her waiting far above the street, alone in the dark. She'd already paced the perimeter of the roof twice since coming up, terrified that one of the bellhops or cooks might have snuck up for a smoke and would overhear her.

Anna wondered if her father and Zoli would notice how late she was, but more than likely they were still at work.

She was alone.

Her heart sank in the darkness, a little more with each minute that passed. They weren't coming. She'd arrived on the roof five minutes before six, and she'd been here at least fifteen minutes. Any longer, and she'd be risking frostbite.

She knew this had been a stupid idea. That she was a stupid girl taking stupid risks for a flicker of hope that these stupid men might repay the favor and save her family before the Nazis realized Hungary was defecting.

With a sigh, she pushed off the wall, ready to head back downstairs. It was a lost cause, wasn't it? Suddenly, the door swung open, and Stark and Edwin emerged from the warm glow of the lights. She watched as their eyes surveyed the roof for her, adjusting to the darkness that had enveloped the city. "Over here," she called from her corner.

"Hey Ed, I found your pretty _Fraulein_ ," Stark called in impeccable German, paying no heed to danger. He swaggered across the roof, a broad and easy smile on his face. Edwin followed, cheeks tinged a bright red in the moonlight. "Pleasure to meet you, sweetheart. If I'd known a girl like you was just downstairs, I would have ordered half a dozen suits just to have an excuse to see your smile."

"If you were smart, you'd order yourself a ticket back home and find a pretty girl in America to annoy," she replied sharply. She'd gone out on a limb for this man, and she did not like that he was treating it as a joke.

Stark stared at her a moment before turning back to Edwin. "I like her."

Edwin stared at the other man, appearing seconds away from strangling him. Shaking his head, he grabbed a crate. He pulled it over, indicating that Anna should sit. "What happened? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It's you who may be in trouble." She quickly related the incident with Jürgen that morning. "They will eventually figure out you are here. There are only so many hotels in Budapest. And if they know you are here, it will not be long before they realize that there are others. You will all be in danger. _Your mission_ will be in danger."

" _Shit,_ " Stark uttered, falling against the wall and sliding down, head in his hands. Though she'd never heard the English word, its meaning was pretty clear. The rapid turn from carefree boy to war-weary man was jarring, and she wondered how long Stark had been maintaining his façade.

"That would be the understatement of the year, Howard," Edwin replied softly, taking a seat next to Anna on the crate. "Do you think he suspects anything?"

Anna shook her head. "I don't think so. It seemed more a general warning that Stark might be in and out of the hotel. But there are many sympathizers that would be more than willing to help him search, especially if there's a reward involved. He seemed…" she stopped herself quickly. It didn't matter if Jürgen had been staring at her, trying to figure out what was going on in her mind. She'd relayed the most important information.

"What is it?" Stark asked. "If it's something we need to know—"

"No, no. It's nothing like that. I only meant to say that he seemed more interested in me than anything else. Like he _knew._ " She emphasized the last word, giving Edwin a significant glance that made her meaning clear.

Stark opened his mouth, but Edwin quickly hushed him. "We need to inform General Montgomery."

"I'll go, Ed. I want to talk to the boys, make sure my plane is ready to go if we need to make a quick escape. You make sure… damn, I don't even know your name sweetheart."

"It's Anna," she revealed, not willing to give her last name. If Stark was captured and revealed her secret, she would not have it coming back to haunt her family.

"I owe you one, Anna. Anything you need, you come find me. Room 462."

As Stark disappeared downstairs, she turned back to Edwin. "I should go. My family will be expecting me."

Edwin grabbed her hand as she turned to leave. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you an even greater favor."

She stared at him a moment, before it dawned on her what exactly he meant. "You need me to watch Jürgen."

"His friendship with Herr Acker gives you better access to him than anyone. We just need you to… to listen. Observe. Anything that could be helpful. I wouldn't ask if we had any other choice…"

As she listened to him, she felt her hands tremble- and not from the cold. This was more, much more, than she ever wanted. All she'd asked for was a little hope from a bumbling English attaché. Not to be dragged into the middle of a battle for the fate of Hungary.

But if they were to live, if her family was to be safe, she had to. The Americans and the British were their only hope of safe haven from the Nazis and the Russians. If they failed now, then everything they'd worked for was lost, and they would be left to two warring nations who cared little for the people of Hungary and even less for the Jews that sought only a home to live in peace.

There was no choice, only one answer.

"I will help you."

The surprise was evident on his face, but he masked it quickly. "Then please allow me to walk you home."

OOO

He'd insisted she take his gloves, and though Anna thought to refuse them, the bitter cold seeping through her body eliminated that thought quickly. They were far too large for her hands, but the lining was warm, both from the thick wool and the heat Edwin's hands had given off. He pulled her to his side, tucking her arm into his, smile plastered across his face. She watched him warily.

"It's the easiest way to pass information," he said quietly, keeping her close. "No one would question a couple whispering sweet nothings."

"I guess I should be grateful it's you and not Herr Stark," she shot back with a hint of a smirk, relaxing slightly. It brought her back, to before this war began. She'd had boyfriends before, had been a popular girl in school. Anna knew she wasn't an actress, but she could play this role.

"From what I understand, if we were in the States, you'd be incredibly disappointed right now. Mr. Stark is _quite_ the commodity from what I understand."

"He's also an idiot," she chimed in, resting her head against his shoulder. If they were going to pull off this charade, it was going to have to be a team effort.

A team.

This was more dangerous than she thought. How could she have forgotten?

"You do realize what you risk, being seen with me?" Anna asked quietly. "Jews and Christians… you'll be arrested, they'll figure you out, and everything will be for-"

"It's already handled," he replied quickly as they turned the corner. She didn't live far from the hotel, something she was grateful for on nights like these. "Howard has a remarkable talent for making friends that excel in illicit activity. Including forging papers."

"You've thought this through, then," she replied, wondering how they'd thrown this plan together in such a short period of time.

Edwin stopped in his tracks, grabbing her arm and looking her directly in the eye. "I'm not in the habit of asking others to risk their lives for me," he said seriously. "We can keep you safe, Anna. And if, God forbid, this all goes awry, we'll get you and your family out."

He was sincere, she could tell that much. Naïve, but sincere. If they'd met in another time, in a more peaceful time, she could see…

No, it was no use thinking about what if and if only. Linking her arm back through his, she pulled him along. "No one can promise that these days, Edwin."

The rest of the walk was silent, and huddled together with her head on his arm, she knew they looked like a couple on a late night walk, rather than two near strangers trying to survive a global catastrophe. Light snow had started to fall as they reached her building, and one glance up showed the lights were out. Zoli and her father were still at the factory. Pulling away, she nodded at the door. "This is me."

He looked up at the building, seeming to mark the spot in his mind. "Well then. I'll walk you home after work again tomorrow?"

Nodding in agreement, she took her key from her bag. "Good night Edwin."

"Goodnight Anna." Placing her key in the door, she turned for a moment to see him still standing there, almost unsure what to do. In a moment she realized he was just as lost as she was. _It's a team effort…_

Taking a step back, she kissed him briefly on the cheek, before dashing through the door back to her apartment. Had she turned back, she might have seen his face burning bright red and a dumbstruck smile on his face.

OOO

The air was still frigid as Anna walked out of the apartment the next morning after a lonely breakfast of what could only be described as gruel. The farmer had been less willing to haggle this week, and with shortages of seemingly everything, they'd have to make due with what she could scrounge up. Her father and Zoli hadn't returned until after midnight, and had left before daybreak. Berlin had been pressing them for more and more bullets, bombs, mines- whatever they could get their hands on to stop the influx of Russians on the eastern front. In a way, she was almost glad they only had a few short minutes together. She wanted so badly to tell them that their hope was not misplaced, that there may be a chance they would emerge unscathed from the war.

She'd kept her silence. Although she trusted her family more than anyone, even the slightest word- a joke between her father and his co-workers, a mumble from her brother- could destroy them all.

"A week in Debrecen, and this is the welcome home I get?" she hears a voice call behind her.

"Marja!" Anna exclaimed, the first genuine smile in months forming on her face. Marja had been her neighbor as long as she could remember and her best friend throughout their school days, though life had forced them to grow more distant the past few years. "How is your mother doing? When did you get back? Walk with me, I have to get to the hotel."

"I'll walk with you. My father has business there he asked me to attend to," Marja replied cheerfully, falling into step with her. Marja's father was an accountant, and she had taken a job as his secretary after they finished school. "Mama's fine, about as well as can be expected. We sold off what we could of my grandfather's farm. There wasn't much left, you know how it is these days. She's staying with my aunt for a few more weeks, trying to help my grandmother get settled in. But Papa wanted to return home, as did I," she finished vaguely. "We got back yesterday."

"And Élías? Have you heard from him?" she asked. Anna still had trouble seeing sweet, baby-faced Élías, who would steal his older sister's diary, run to the Zellner apartment, and hide under Zoli's bed until the girls dragged him out, as a soldier. It hadn't been his choice- he'd been conscripted shortly after his eighteenth birthday and promptly shipped to the Russian front.

Marja shrugged. "I hear from him when I hear from him. I received a letter a week ago, from early February. He was fine. Still pining over you and half the other girls from our year in school."

"Of course he is," Anna laughed, remembering the schoolboy's crush. Still, she wondered at Marja's nonchalance. Every newspaper article seemed to indicate that the Hungarian army was on the run, decimated by the brutal Red army and harsh winter. Perhaps a defense mechanism. Anna hated thinking of sweet Élías alone in the middle of Russia.

"And what about you Anna," Marja interjected quickly, shaking Anna from her thoughts. "Tell me about your new beau."

 _Beau? What beau? She couldn't mean…_

"I… I don't…" she stuttered, caught off-guard. "What…"

Marja snorted. "The boy who walked you home last night. I saw you two out the window, Anna. Who is he? How long has this been going on? And most importantly, where on earth did you find him?"

Anna could see the hotel ahead of her, desperate to reach the shop before she had to lie to her friend. "I…I met him at temple?" It was the first lie that came to mind, but was also the most likely. Most of her boyfriends had been introduced to her after temple by her father. They weren't particularly religious, but her father did cling to tradition. He hoped she'd find a nice Jewish boy- one with a good steady job, so she'd settle down and have a family, rather than running about Budapest dressing the dignitaries that came through.

That her response came out more a question didn't seem to bother Marja. "Of course you did. Why don't the handsome men ever hang around Catholic churches?" her friend huffed. "Oh don't you dare blush at me, Anna Zellner. I saw him under the street lamp as he walked away- he's a handsome one." Marja pulled the hotel door open, allowing Anna to enter first. "It's been a long time since I've seen you with anyone. You deserve a little happi—"

The sudden halt in Marja's cheerful conversation startled Anna from her thoughts, where she'd been quickly developing some sort of half-believable story to cover Edwin's appearance in her life. Eyes darting around the lobby, she saw what had startled Marja.

Jürgen. Standing outside the door to the tailor shop.

His eyes honed in on her quickly, a self-satisfied smirk on his face. Turning to speak to Marja, she found herself pulled into a tight hug, her friend's head resting on her shoulder. "Be safe. I'll be here. Room 462," she whispered quickly. Anna felt a heavy weight sink into her coat pocket. Taking a step back, Marja grinned broadly, twirling her loose blonde hair between her fingers. "I'll see you at noon for lunch, Anna. I want to tell you all about my new boyfriend."

There were no lunch plans. Marja worked halfway across the city. She was covering for both of them.

Waving as she walked away, Marja gave Jürgen a broad grin and curtsey, before hailing the elevator. Without stopping to think about what had been placed in her pocket or why the room number sounded so familiar, Anna approached the shop and unlocking the door, allowing Jürgen to follow her inside.

OOO

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Fraulein Zellner," Jürgen said, entering the shop behind her, ensuring the door was shut. Anna felt her stomach drop. Her only escape path was blocked.

"And you as well, Obserschütze Koenig," she replied softly, placing her bag behind the register. She felt safer having the counter between her and the Wehrmacht soldier. "It would be a lovely morning if it wasn't so cold, don't you agree?"

Stick to pleasantries. She could handle pleasantries.

"I can only hope we live long enough to see summer again," Jürgen said carefully.

"God willing." An unobjectionable reply to a vague and unobjectionable statement. Nothing that could be used against her, nothing that could be used against him- didn't everyone want to survive this war? But she wasn't so stupid that she didn't see beyond the veiled threat.

He couldn't know, could he? Just half a day had passed since she met with Edwin and Stark on the—

Stark. Marja. Room 462.

What the _hell_ was going on?

She felt her heart speeding up, her face blanching as she realized just how far in over her head she was.

"Is there anything I can help you with today, Obserschütze?" she managed to ask without stuttering. She slipped her hand in her pocket, feeling cold steel where Marja had passed her the mystery object. Glancing down, she saw a pocket knife- not large, but enough to defend herself if need be.

"Ah, of course. How silly of me to forget," Jürgen laughed, a cold, stilted noise. He slipped his rucksack off his shoulder, pulling the drawstrings open. "My uniforms need repairing. Herr Acker said you could fix them?"

"I'd be happy to." Coming around the counter, she picked up the pile of uniforms, retreating back just as quickly to her safe place behind the counter. "Just mending, or will additional alterations be necessary?"

"Mending for now, Fraulein Zellner. If they're salvageable, we can discuss further work. They'll be done in two days' time, will they not?"

It wasn't a question. It was a command.

"Of course."

"Excellent. I wish to be prepared." He paused, sensing her confusion. "My leave is nearly up, and I'll be returning to the eastern front. Thank you for taking care of this. Give my regards to Herr Acker."

Jürgen strode toward the door, pausing as he reached for the handle. He turned slowly, taking her in as she stood helplessly behind the register with only a pile of uniforms and a pocket knife to protect her. The cold smile spread back across his face as he returned to the counter, stepping behind it to stand by her side. The tips of his fingers- also cold, despite having waited in the hotel lobby- pushed a strand of hair behind her ear as he leaned in close and whispered, "Take care Anna Zellner. Remember, we are never as alone as we think we are."

She wasn't sure when Jürgen left, wasn't sure how long she was alone, standing in the middle of the shop, fighting the surging panic that rushed through her. She only knew that, when Herr Acker arrived, she was rooted in the same place behind the register, one arm still holding the pile of uniforms, the other hand clenched so tightly that when she opened her fist, her palm was covered in blood.

* * *

 **Another week, another chapter! With all the players introduced, we're hopefully in for an interesting ride. I'm looking at about 2-3 more chapters in this story (yes, this was supposed to be a one shot haha). Reviews and concrit are always gratefully accepted and appreciated. Best - Jac**


	3. Trust

**Disclaimer: Agent Carter still ain't mine- and apparently they're bringing in Anna next season! Here's hoping she's as kickass as we all hope!**

 **Author's note: Normally I hate long author's notes at the beginning of a chapter, but I have some 'splaining to do! Where have I been since I published the last chapter? I left my old job as an editor, got an incredible awesome new job writing science curriculum, got to visit my family for a week back on the east coast, got married, went on my honeymoon, and got pink eye and a cold on the way home. So suffice it to say, it's been a kickass summer (minus the pink eye). I'm back, my free time is back, and the rest of this story should be coming in a timely fashion! This chapter may be a bit slow, but we're setting up the ending here. Thanks for sticking around ya'll!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

 **Trust**

Pants, done. Shirts, started. The uniform jackets would be last- some of the elbows would require more time and care to fix, and after her conversation with Jürgen, her nerves were too frayed to focus on the detail they'd require.

The shop was quiet, Herr Acker in the front reading the newspaper and occasionally humming an old folk song as he flipped through the pages. Alone in the back room, she wished someone, anyone would come in to break the monotony and keep her from thinking about the events of the morning.

She glanced at the clock. Nearly closing time. Edwin would be here…

The bells above the door rang.

"Can I help you, my boy?" she heard Herr Acker say over the rumpling of the newspaper.

"I'm sorry to bother you- is Anna here?" She had expected to feel relief when Edwin arrived, but she hadn't realized how comforting just hearing his voice would be. A reminder that she wasn't as alone as she felt.

"I promised to walk her home," he continued, pulling her from her thoughts. "I know I'm a bit ear—"

"Say no more my boy!" Herr Acker replied excitedly. Anna rolled her eyes as she folded the shirt she'd been working on. The old man was ever the busy-body, worse than the old yentas in her mother's stories. It was as annoying as it was endearing, but it would only help them.

Straightening her skirt, she emerged from the back room, wondering how she should greet him. Edwin and Herr Jarvis were out- both would out him immediately as a foreigner. And was he pretending to be Hungarian? Or German? What language should she greet him in? He'd just spoken German, but Herr Acker might find it odd if she addressed him that way…

Last night she felt so confident in Edwin's plan- he had a cover story, what did she have to worry about? There were so many questions she wished she had asked, so little she knew about the dangerous game she'd fallen into.

"There you are, Anna!"

German. Alright, she could do this. Grasping his outstretched hand, she pulled him down so she could reach his cheek, kissing him lightly. It was a show for Herr Acker- proof to anyone who might ask questions that their relationship was legitimate.

"Hello dear." She turned back to her boss. "Herr Acker, please let me introduce—"

"Hans Lefkowitz," Edwin chimed in, causing Anna to bite back a sigh of relief. He figured out where she was going. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you as well my boy, despite stealing my seamstress out from under my nose," Herr Acker chuckled, shooing them out the door. "It's been far too long since I've seen a smile on young Anna's face. And caused by a good German boy, no less!" Herr Acker explained.

"Hungarian, actually," Edwin replied casually. She wasn't sure why he was sharing so much, but she assumed it was important. "But my parents were German. From Bremen. They came to Hungary just before I was born. German is my first language- I'm afraid my Hungarian will never match it."

"I can understand that," her boss replied with a smile, and it dawned on her why he'd given that information. A reason why they did not speak Hungarian, given to a man who understood how difficult learning a new language was. "Well, who am I to stand in the way of such happiness. Go, go! I may be an old man, but I still remember how to close up shop."

With a grateful nod and brief goodbyes, Anna wrapped her arm around Edwin's and swiftly left the shop.

OOO

"Can you take the bag, darling?" she asked, shoving the sack into Edwin's arms, hoping that the quick movement would hide the nervous shaking of her hands. Secretly, she wondered if she'd ever recover from the fear she felt after the morning's encounter.

As they'd walked arm-in-arm away from the hotel, Edwin had informed her that maintaining normalcy was the best way to cover their tracks- which was how he'd ended up at the grocer's stand, watching her haggle with a farmer over a half liter of nearly spoiled milk, two stale loaves of bread, and five eggs. Though there was shock in Edwin's eyes as he took in the meager offering, he said nothing, simply taking the bag and nodding his thanks to the grocer.

The last few blocks to her home were quickly covered. As they approached the building, she glanced up at the window as she did every night- no one home. Again.

"You'll come up for dinner, yes?" Anna asked. The surprise on Edwin's face mirrored the surprise she felt. The solitude and loneliness was biting at her spirit, and after her encounter with Jürgen, she needed desperately needed to know that someone, _anyone_ , was there.

"Will there… is there enough?" He looked between her and the bag.

"There's always enough for a friend," she replied with a small smile, a tinge of red lighting up her face at the meager offering. His dinner at the hotel would likely be much heartier and more filling. It didn't seem to matter- Edwin returned the smile, holding the door open so they could enter.

A cold breeze greeted them as she unlocked and opened the apartment door. She was reminded of the games they played when she was young- she'd made it home. To base. She was safe for now.

"It takes a bit to warm up," Anna explained apologetically, opening the grate of the stove to see how much coal was left from the previous night. She lit the coals, adding an extra piece before returning to the table. If she kept moving, she wouldn't have time to think about the dangers lurking outside. "There's not much coal left, but we'll have enough for dinner."

Edwin set the bag on the counter. The scene was so… domestic. A picture from another time, when war wasn't raging a few miles away. "We could go to a café. You don't have to go out of your way—"

"It's fine. Really. I'll have to cook for my brother and father anyway." She grabbed several potatoes off a shelf and began peeling them. "Work keeps them late."

He stepped around the table, picking up a potato. "Then I could help—"

"Please, just sit!" she interrupted quickly, louder than she had intended. This was her distraction. "Please. Just let me cook."

Anna picked up the knife to slice the potatoes, but her hands were shaking again. With a sigh, she grabbed a pot, filled it with water, and placed in on the stove. She picked up the knife again-

"Anna."

Her hands were still shaking.

"Anna, put the knife down." Edwin's voice was low and calm. A warm hand enveloped her's, forcing her to drop the utensil. "What happened? Tell me."

"I think…" Her voice broke, and she swallowed hard, trying to make the words form. "I think Jürgen knows."

If her words scared him as much as they scared her, Edwin did not show it. "What happened?"

"He said… he told me to be careful. Said that people were always watching."

With a gentle tug, he pulled her toward the main room, sitting her in her father's worn easy chair. He knelt on the floor in front of her, her hand still squeezed tightly in his, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "Did he threaten you?"

She shook her head in the negative, her hair escaping from the bun she'd fixed earlier that morning. "He asked me to fix his uniforms. Said he wanted to be prepared."

"Prepared for what?" Edwin asked, his voice more urgent, though the worry in his eyes subsided.

"His leave was ending. He's going to the eastern front."

"When?" he pressed. Almost like an interrogation.

"He didn't say," she replied, almost frantic as she realized she'd been so focused on her fear, she may have missed an opportunity to get Edwin the information they needed. She might have failed them on her first day. Reliving the conversation, Anna quickly added, "At least two days from now- that's when he wants the uniforms done."

"Do you believe him?"

She stopped. Did she believe Jürgen? Was it possible he just wanted to scare her? Scare tactics were nothing new- the Arrow Cross Party, those Hungarians aligned with fascist Germany, had targeted Jews since the war began. It wouldn't take much to find out her religion- it was recorded in the last census. It wasn't beyond the realm of possibility that Jürgen might want to scare a Jewish girl. One last childish hurrah before he returned to nearly certain death in Russia.

It wasn't an outlandish possibility.

It just didn't make sense.

"No." The words were barely above a whisper. "No, I don't believe him."

"Neither do I." Edwin leaned back on his toes, releasing her hand and running a hand through his hair. "I just wish I knew why."

Her stomach growled as they sat in silence, and she stood to return to the kitchen. Edwin rose with her, grasping her shoulder and forcing her to face him. "We can stop this. We don't have to keep going. If you don't feel safe, no one will force you to keep going."

He was right. They could stop it. She could walk away. But if Jürgen already knew, what was the point? In for a penny, in for a pound.

"I'll get dinner started, Hans."

OOO

Three days passed after their dinner. Three days since Jürgen had asked for his uniforms to be ready. One day since he was supposed to arrive to pick them up.

The starched uniforms still awaited his return.

Anna hoped they stayed there.

OOO

"Have you always worked for Herr Acker?" Edwin asked as the old man left the shop for lunch, setting a bag of food on the table. Steam rose from the bag- it was still hot and fresh, a treat these days.

Edwin had become a constant presence, despite the fact that Jürgen had seemingly disappeared. After he'd left that night, she found him waiting outside her apartment the next morning, and each morning after. He had arrived at lunchtime each day with a meal for them to share. Had walked her home each night and stayed for dinner and conversation until he had to return to his actual work.

She wondered what his commanding officer thought of this. Wondered why he maintained the charade. Wondered why she dreaded the day it would come to an end.

Reaching across the table, she took a piece of still-warm bread from the bag. She had been right- the food the Americans and British were eating was far fresher and more nourishing than anything she'd seen in months. It took all her effort not to stuff her face full.

"No. No I didn't." She paused to take another bite, chewing slowly. They'd made plenty of small talk over the past several days, but nothing quite so personal as this. Memories of what she used to have flooded her, a melancholy nostalgia. "I used to own a dress shop, before they forced me out of business for being Jewish. One of my mother's friends left it to me after she died. She taught me everything I know. I designed my own dresses. They were popular."

Not quite true. But some of Budapest's wealthier socialites had worn her dresses to parties and the theater. One had appeared in the newspaper several years ago. She was proud of her little accomplishments.

"You don't seem old enough to be running your own shop," he remarked off-handedly. As soon as he realized what he said, his face flushed bright red. "Not that you couldn't, I just meant—"

Anna laughed, wondering how a man who wore his emotions on his sleeve had become involved in such a covert mission. "I'm nearly thirty, Ed- Hans."

She caught herself quickly. The relative calm of the past three days had nearly pushed away the fear she felt, although the underlying knot in her stomach remained. It had all been so… normal. Almost like they were really a couple. She could almost forget that Edwin was a soldier trying to get information to protect his men and his friend, and that she was trying to guarantee herself a safe haven when the war ended.

She was Anna Zellner, seamstress and woman. Not Anna Zellner, target of the enemy.

"And you? What did you do before all this?" she asked, genuinely curious about the man behind the soldier.

"An accountant, if you believe it. At a solicitor's office." Edwin was beaming, the pride in his job evident in his face. "I come from a family that's always worked in private service. My mother worked as a housekeeper before she was married. My father is a butler on a country estate. I was the first to get an education, to leave. They're very proud of that."

His joy was contagious, and Anna found herself grinning. "That's wonderful. Truly."

"After this is all over and you have your shop back, I'll be happy to check your books for you." The cheeky smile he gave her nearly doubled her over in laughter.

"I suppose I'll have to make your future wife a dress in return? Red and blue I think- a Union Jack dress to thank the heroes that saved Hungary!"

A funny look briefly passed over Edwin's face before the grin returned. Finishing the bread and vegetables that Edwin had brought, Anna walked to the door to hang the sign that the shop was open again.

Across the lobby, she saw Marja emerge from the elevator. On the arm of Howard Stark.

Her friend didn't notice her at first. A quick glance made it appear that Marja and Stark were together. But closer glance revealed that the coy smile on Marja's face and the jolly, carefree look in Stark's eyes were false. The heavy coat that Marja wore was bulkier than normal, and her movements were stilted. Almost like she was carrying something under her coat...

It wasn't until they were nearly halfway across the lobby that Marja looked through the window of the shop and caught Anna's eye. Anna knew the confusion was written plainly on her face. She saw Marja shake her head slowly.

"Are you alright Anna?" She jumped a bit at the feeling of Edwin's hand on her waist, resting his head on her shoulder to peek over it and out the window. In view of everyone in the lobby, he played the doting boyfriend.

"Of course. Everything's fine. I'll see you at closing time?"

"I'll be waiting," Edwin replied. With a kiss on the cheek, he left the shop.

Marja was still watching.

OOO

His return was anticlimactic.

When Jürgen strode back into the shop, there was a smile on his face. It gave him an air of innocence- he couldn't have been more than twenty-five to begin with, and his face was that of a boy striving to look like a man. He greeted Herr Acker with a nod of his head and walked into the back room without waiting for an invitation.

Anna stood as he entered, taking a steadying breath before offering him a smile. He would not know how much he had scared her. "It's lovely to see you again, Obserschütze Koenig. Would you like a seat while I get your uniforms?"

"No, thank you, Fraulein Zellner. I must apologize for my delay in picking them up. I was held up yesterday- my orders were changed. I'm going back to Germany within the week."

"Will you be stationed near your family?" she asked politely as she aimlessly shuffled through the closet where the uniforms were stored. She knew exactly where Jürgen's were, but if she could keep him talking, perhaps… perhaps she could actually be of help.

"A brief train ride. My mother is pleased." He leaned against the table where she kept her supplies, picking up a pair of scissors. He stuck a finger through one of the handles, twirling it around his finger.

 _He's trying to scare you. Don't give in. He won't do anything with Herr Acker here._

"I hope this means that conditions have improved at the Russian Front? If you are no longer required there?" She'd play the innocent girl that knew nothing of war.

He stopped spinning the scissors and looked at her through squinted eyes. Trying to figure out her angle, she supposed. "Unfortunately no. But my service record has qualified me for a special mission in the west."

"Then I'm sure your mother will be both pleased and proud. Here they are! Good as new, Obserschütze Koenig. You'll look so dashing when your family sees you!"

"Thank you, Fraulein." Jürgen paused again, looking over the fabric. His finger traced along the seam of the jacket. "I also have to apologize for my behavior the last time I was here. When I said you weren't alone. I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to warn you- I've seen some suspicious fellows hanging around the hotel. You're important to Herr Acker, and I don't want to see you get hurt."

It was a lie. A bold face lie.

But was he making these people up or was he implying that he knew the Americans and British were there?

"Thank you, Obserschütze Koenig. So few people are willing to look out for others these days. It's rare to find someone as kind-hearted as you. Now, is there anything else I can do for you today?"

He might be a liar. But Anna could lie too.

* * *

 **Thanks so much for reading. Aiming for a chapter every two weeks til we're done (maybe 2-3 more left?). Reviews and con-crit are always greatly appreciated.**


	4. Normalcy

**A/N:** I think you'll either love or hate me after this chapter. Hopefully a little of both?

* * *

Two days later, the messenger was waiting when they returned to the apartment.

The teenager leaned against the railing, his cap pulled low over his eyes. A rusted bicycle tottered precariously where it lay against the wrought iron fence that lined the street, a satchel attached with letters sticking out.

"Anna Zelner?" the boy asked as they approached, taking off the cap as he spoke. His curly brown hair stood on end briefly, before falling into his eyes as he strained to look professional.

"Can I help you?" she replied.

"Message from Szentendre Munitions Factory." He slipped the paper from his side bag and handed it to her.

She felt her stomach drop.

How could she have been so thoughtless? How could she have forgotten her family so easily?

She had become so used to seeing her father and brother for a few brief minutes every morning, both men tired, eyes barely open as they drank their watered-down coffee and mechanically consumed whatever gruel she'd scraped together. As she lost herself in her fears and buried herself deeper in her work and her escapades with Edwin, she hadn't even reflected on the very reality of her father and brother's job. The very real dangers they faced every day.

As she stared at the boy, her mind pictured the mountains of gunpowder, the cases of detonators, a tiny spark from a cigarette or faulty wiring. Had there been an accident? Zoli and her father had witnessed a detonator explosion as they returned from their lunch break several months ago. A bright light, and the whole building was gone, destroyed. The men who had worked through lunch couldn't be identified, the pieces that were left buried together in the same wooden box by grieving families so that the scorched bones would not be placed under the wrong name. She could picture her father and brother, caught unaware, the searing pain of the blast, Zoli's hands, which he so dutifully protected from the factory equipment in hopes that he would one day play his violin again, gone forever…

 _You don't know anything. They're probably fine… don't jump to conclusions..._

"Thank you," she heard Edwin murmur. Taking the letter, he passed the boy a handful of change. The boy grinned broadly at the money, stuffing it in his pocket, hopping on his rusted bicycle, and pedaling away.

Edwin opened the door, leading her upstairs, and plucked the keys from her hand to unlock the apartment. She felt the comforting warmth of his hand in hers, pulling her into a seat at the kitchen table and back into the real world.

"Do you want me to open it?" he asked quietly. She looked from him, to the letter in his hand, then back to him. There was understanding in his eyes.

"I can do it," Anna replied, preparing herself. She was not a child anymore. If bad news was to be had, she would be brave enough to face it head on.

She quickly opened the letter, tearing the rumpled piece of paper at. It had the factory letterhead on it, but was handwritten… in her father's handwriting.

Thank God.

 _My dear Anna,_

 _I know you have been concerned for your brother and I these past few weeks. There is a great need for ammunition for those on the Russian front. Because of this, Herr Stieffel has allowed us to make use of an apartment building near the factory to rest and recover. We will be staying through the rest of this week and will return home for the Sabbath._

 _Be safe, and know we both love you._

 _With all my love,_

 _Your Father_

They were alright.

She felt her eyes begin to water. So many awful things had happened recently, so many things out of her control. To know that her worst fears hadn't come true… it overwhelmed her with joy.

"They're alright," she whispered, tears falling. She couldn't control it anymore- every emotion that she'd suppressed since the war began, since Jurgen, since the arrival of Edwin and the British delegation emerged, rushing through her. Her shoulders were shaking with sobs of pure relief. "They're alright."

Anna dropped the letter, looking up at Edwin. A small smile spread across his face, and she felt a matching one cross hers. She threw her arms around Edwin's neck, squeezing him as tightly as she could. She felt his arms wrap back around her, gently pulling her off the chair so he could hold her close.

"They're alright."

"They are," she heard Edwin murmur, rocking her back and forth. "We'll be alright, Anna. We'll be alright."

She believed him.

OOO

To be honest, Anna wasn't sure how long they sat there, locked in an embrace of comfort and solidarity on the floor of her kitchen floor. The reality of it was this: it had been far too long since she'd drawn comfort from another human, and Edwin was the ideal candidate.

The knock on the door startled them apart.

"Were you expecting someone?" Edwin asked as he stood, offering a hand to help her up.

"No."

Before the war, it wasn't unusual for friends and clients to stop by for coffee and cake or a last minute fitting before a gala. But lately, old friends had grown distant, and with the shop gone, it had been just her and her family.

They stood in silence, staring at the door, waiting with baited breath. A mysterious visitor could spell trouble for either one of them.

"Are you there, Anna?" she heard Marja shout, knocking on the door again.

She sighed in relief. "Coming!"

The door was barely cracked open before Marja pushed her way in. "Sorry, it's been so long… oh, hello!" Marja's expression rapidly changed from surprised to confused to suspicious as she took in Edwin.

"This is Hans," Anna introduced Edwin quickly. "He's my boyfriend. The one you saw through the window several weeks ago?"

Marja smirked, an eyebrow raised. "Hans. Of course. It's a pleasure. And where are you from again?"

Anna looked between the two. Edwin's face was straight, Marja's set in a challenge. She was suspicious of Edwin. "Bremen, originally. But I was raised in Hungary," he replied.

"Of course…" Marja trailed off. "If you wouldn't mind horribly, _Hans_ , I was hoping I might be able to speak to Anna privately? It wouldn't be such a rush, but I'm needed back at my aunt's house again. Bit of a family emergency."

Edwin glanced at her briefly, questioning. He wanted to know that she was alright with this. Anna nodded subtly. Though her behavior strange, she trusted Marja instinctively. Their long lasting friendship, despite their loss of contact the past few years, gave Anna confidence in her friend's character.

Turning back to Marja, Edwin replied, "It was lovely to finally meet you Marja. I'll leave you two alone- I'll see you in the morning, Anna?"

Anna nodded, moving to embrace him before he left. She leaned up to kiss him on the cheek, only to find Edwin's lips pressed against her's, moving languorously as he watched Marja over her shoulder. He leaned down and whispered, "If you need me, you know where to find me."

She giggled lightly, partly to convince Marja that Edwin had whispered something devilishly charming in her ear, but mostly to clear her mind of the heady, bubbly feeling that Edwin's kiss had caused to spread through her.

 _Get it together, Anna Zelner. You are not a child._

"I'll see you tomorrow."

No more than three seconds passed after she closed the door than Marja had her cornered.

"What are you thinking? Carrying around with that British fellow? Did you even know? Has he been lying to you this whole time? Anna, do you realize how much danger you are in?" Marja half-shouted, not stopping to take a breath or think of the neighbors that might overhear and put Edwin's life at risk for a small payout.

"I'm fully aware of who he is," Anna replied as calmly as she could. "He's been-"

"Using you," Marja interjected, her voice not even hinting at a shread of doubt.

"Protecting me!" Anna shot back, beginning to lose her patience. Yes, she and Edwin had a friendship born out of mutual need, but it had become much more than that. They were friends now, at the very least. She saw him more frequently than her own family. If he'd been using her, he wouldn't have been spending all his down time ensuring she felt protected from Jurgen.

No, Edwin wasn't using her.

Was he?

"Ah yes. Protecting you. And when the delegation leaves? Did he promise to save you? Do you think that will hold true when these talks fall through and they're running for their lives? Who's going to protect you then, Anna? "

She had no answer for that, so she went with the next lowest blow. "I assume whoever's going to be protecting you when Howard Stark leaves with the rest of them."

They stood in silence, anger reflected in each of their eyes.

"I don't want to part like this. I'm just worried about you, Anna. Things are dangerous enough already, especially for you. I don't want to lose one of the few friends I have left. Especially because some soldier thought he could play on your feelings to get information, then head out of town."

"You're not going to lose me Marja."

She felt Marja pull her into a hug. "I'll be at my aunt's in Gyor. I should be home Sunday. Can we talk more then? I hate to leave without clearing the air, but my train…"

"It's fine, Marja. We'll speak then."

Though what she would say, Anna didn't know.

OOO

The apartment was empty. Edwin was gone, Marja too. Her father and brother were not coming home until the Sabbath. Even the streets were abandoned, thanks to the imposed curfew.

Silence reigned over Budapest.

Once she would have delighted in the solitude.

Now it left her far too much time to think.

OOO

"Marja recognized me, didn't she?" Edwin asked as she walked out of her building the following morning.

Anna only nodded in reply, unable to find her voice. It had been a sleepless night, staring at the ceiling of the deserted apartment, thoughts racing, heart jumping at any noise that seemed vaguely out of place. Marja's words had shaken her confidence in Edwin more than she anticipated.

"I've seen her around the hotel a bit. Not sure what she's been doing, but I know she's met Stark," Edwin replied.

"I know," she replied, short and succinct. As she dodged a small puddle at the base of a snowbank, evidence that spring was slowly approaching, she wished she could read Edwin's mind. To know for certain that he was telling the truth, and not just what she wanted to hear.

"I can talk to Howard, see what's going on, if you like?" He slung an arm around her shoulder. It was nothing unusual- their situation had put them in far more intimate situations- but Anna wasn't prepared and flinched away.

Edwin stopped walking, one hand clasping her arm as he looked her over in concern. "What's wrong? Is Jurgen back?"

"No, no it's nothing like that. I haven't seen him in days. I'm just... everything is fine, really Edwin," she quickly insisted, trying to keep walking. Instead, she found herself being pulled into an alleyway, out of sight of the early morning commuters.

"You're not. Anna, I'm not stupid. What happened?"

She leaned back against the brick wall, still cool from the night's chill. Her brain was wildly jumping from one idea to the next, never quite settling on one, until she finally forced herself to say, "When the Russians invade, are you going to leave me here?"

"When the.. the Russians… what?" Edwin muttered, confusion evident on his face. He shook his head as he began pacing in circles, trying to… collect his thoughts? Make an excuse? Every so often he'd look back at her, as if trying to decipher her thoughts.

Finally, to break the silence, Anna spat out, "I understand if you can't keep your end of the deal. Just... please be honest with me."

"Why on earth would you think that?" Edwin asked quietly. "After… after all this, you think I'd leave you behind for the Russians? Or the Germans? Or whoever wins this bloody war?"

"No! I mean, you never made any promises… you're not obligated… but I don't think… you said…" she stammered in reply, not a single rational thought coming to mind. "Edwin, I-"

She found her rambling stopped by Edwin's lips upon her's again. His kiss was rougher than the night before. More intense. There was a fire behind it, conviction and determination. As he pushed her back against the wall, she wrapped her arms around him, pulling him closer. And when he pulled away to take a breathe, she allowed him only a few seconds reprieve before her lips were back on his.

"I'm not leaving you behind, Anna," he managed to whisper between kisses, just loud enough to be heard over the growing din of the morning rush outside the alley. "I _will_ get you out of Hungary. And if they won't let you leave, then I'll stay behind until we can escape together. Hang the army, and the war, and everything else."

She kissed him once more briefly, before stepping back, worry etched on her face. "You'll go to jail. Your career will be over. You'd never be able to go home."

His face quirked into a shy smile, as if he was almost daring himself to speak his mind. "Then we'll make a new home. You and me. We're going to survive this, Anna. Together."

OOO

Bidding Herr Acker a good weekend, Anna left the tailor's shop quickly. Though her eyes darted toward the elevator that would take her to Edwin, she kept walking toward the door, rushing so quickly she just barely avoided tripping over her own high heels. Work had kept her longer than she intended- there was only an hour or two before the Sabbath began, and she wanted to be home to have dinner cooked and ready when her father and Zoli arrived.

The anticipation of seeing her family had grown each day, though Edwin had proven an incredibly welcome distraction. Since the alley, things had changed. With Jurgen all but a memory, back with his family serving his army in Germany, and the peace talks beginning to show signs of promise, their spy games had fallen by the wayside. The walk home at night was no longer for protection, but for companionship. Dinner had been at streetside cafes- Edwin's treat- followed by walks in the park and stolen kisses under dimming street lamps.

With Edwin, she could ignore the signs of war and the members of the Arrow Cross party who hated Jews like her and prayed for the German's arrival. She could forget that she had to greet her father and brother with a meager meal of hardened bread and potato soup.

They could be young(ish) and in love (or something like it), and pretend the world was as it ought to be.

A ridiculous smile pasted on her face, the walk to the market passed quickly. Just a few things she hoped to find- bread that wasn't entirely stale, some eggs for Sunday morning breakfast. It had been some time since she'd come here alone, but with potential success at the peace talks right around the corner, Edwin had been needed at the hotel late tonight.

The bread she found was, unfortunately, stale, but she did manage to come by five eggs and a little sugar. That would surely be a treat for her father and Zoli, as the coffee they'd had since the war began had been little more than black water. With a little milk and sugar, it would be like the days before the war began.

Heading for the door, she found herself pushed backwards, shoulder colliding with a man who had just entered.

"Pardon me," the man mumbled as he helped her stand.

"Of course!" she replied, straightening herself and taking a look at him. She knew this man. "Oh, Herr Stieffel. It's been quite some time! How are you and your family?"

The man stared at her as if seeing a ghost, eyes wide with shock. He unconsciously took a step back. "We're all… we're all very well, Anna. And you?" His eyes darted from side to side, observing the crowds around them.

"As well as can be, thank you. I also have to thank you. I received my father's letter earlier this week. I appreciate you opening your home to him and Zoli so they don't need to make the trip to and from Szentendre every day."

Anna expected the words "You're welcome" or "Anytime" to emerge from Herr Stieffel's mouth. After all, she'd known the man since she was a little girl- he had been one of the other foremen her father worked with prior to the war. What Anna had not expected was the look of shock to turn to confusion, and the confusion to turn to pity.

He pulled her to the side, speaking in a low voice. "They told you they were staying at my apartment? Anna, I don't have an apartment in Szentendre."

"But my father's letter-"

" _They_ forced him to write that letter," he nodded toward an Arrow Cross party member patrolling the marketplace. "Anna, your father and brother haven't been at work this past week. They haven't been in Szentendre."

"What-" she just barely had time to squeak out, her body going numb at the implications.

"They've been deported. All the Jews at our factory and the factories around us. They've been sent to the Russian front to clear the minefields."

* * *

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Reviews and con/crit are always appreciated! Thanks for reading! - Jac**


	5. Destruction

**A/N: Please forgive any spelling errors near the end of the chapter. I got three stitches in my left middle finger yesterday after an incident with a kitchen knife and a slippery apple. 'Nuff said.**

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Anna was numb.

She knew better than to walk the rest of the way home in the state she was in- knew that she was a moving target for any low-life or, God forbid, the same men who'd taken her father and brother away. But Herr Stieffel's words had destroyed her, pulled her from the little safe haven she'd created with Edwin and her family in her head- how _stupid_ she was, thinking there might be a happy ending to this story. A family reunited in England or America, safely away from the Black Cross, the Nazis, the Communists, the war.

There _was_ no future for her here. Her future was lost with her family. With her father and brother, likely sent to die together on the lonely Eastern front from a bomb or the cold- she wasn't sure which was worse. Lost with her cousins in Poland, packed into ghettos never to be heard from again.

Somehow she ended up back on her street, after wandering for- minutes? Hours? She'd lost track of time, but the sinking sun was casting eerie shadows of buildings and unlit street lamps. The street was abandoned, silent. Just a few more meters and she'd be at the door-

A darkly tanned hand reached out from the thin space separating her building from the one next to it, grabbing her wrist so tightly it hurt. Anna managed to get out half a screech before the hand moved around her waist and a second covered her mouth.

She fought.

Instinct took over entirely as Anna began wiggling wildly, managing to wrench herself out of his grip enough to swing the bags in her hand at her captor. The eggs she carried cracked, liquid seeping through the cloth bag. She kept pulling, pulling, pulling, trying to get away.

"Anna, _stop!"_ the man hissed.

She stopped. She knew this voice, though it was deeper than it had been the last time she'd seen him.

Élías.

As she froze, he let her go, allowing her to turn and face him. Marja's sweet baby brother, who was desperately trying to grow a mustache when he'd been conscripted and sent to the Russian front at 18, now had a full beard. It was as unkempt as his long hair, tucked sloppily under newspaper boy's cap. He was not dressed as a soldier- to be honest, she was not sure _what_ he was supposed to be dressed as, in ragged, mud covered pants, heavy flannel shirt, and leather jacket.

"You're supposed to be in Russia, what are you doing here?" Anna whispered. "Élías, they'll kill you if they find you've deserted-"

"And they'll kill you if you go in that house," he replied darkly. There was no trace of the boy she once knew.

"Kill… kill me?" The words stuck in her throat, as she felt the bile creep up, her stomach churning. "Who… what are you talking abo-"

Élías hushed her quickly as a door slammed outside the shadowed alcove they hid in.

"But why this woman, Obserschütze Koenig?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Anna's face blanched nonetheless. She knew that name, without even hearing a voice or seeing a face.

"The Jewess knows where the American is. I'm certain of it." Jürgen's voice resonated through the empty street, angry and menacing. "I've seen her hanging around the Englishman and the Boros girl."

Anna felt her stomach sink.

"Boros girl?" the second man asked.

"Marja Boros," Jürgen replied tersely. "Known member of the resistance. Captured transporting Stark weapons near Gyor."

Marja? In the resistance? She looked to Élías, but his face remained blank.

"Did you get any information out of her?"

"No. Not before she was terminated."

Anna's hand flew to her mouth to cover the sob emerging from her throat. Marja was dead? Élías nodded in confirmation. "The time she said she was with our family in the country she was with us. She was " he whispered quietly. "She volunteered to be the liaison between Stark and our forces. Volunteered for anything and everything to save Hungary. She wanted to bring you to join us, but she didn't think you'd leave your family."

Silent tears ran down her cheek as she heard Jürgen command the men to leave. Apparently their search was done for the day.

"I can't go home, can I, Élías?"

He shook his head. "They're watching the Grand Budapest too. I'll take you to our safehouse."

OOO

The safehouse- as safe as any house could be, at this point- was far outside the city center, in a relatively abandoned industrial neighborhood that had been filled with low-lifes and thugs before the war. One of the windows in the two room apartment was cracked, allowing the cool winter breeze through. The furnishings were sparse- two military-style cots, a wooden table with uneven legs, and a single chair. Three locks on the door separated Anna from the outside world.

Anna had never been more grateful.

Two people, an older man and a woman a bit younger than her, stepped out of the second room. "Élías, thank God," the girl sighed, throwing her arms around him. "You said it wouldn't be long."

"We ran into Koenig," Élías replied, kissing the woman briefly. "Did you find Stark?"

The man shook his head. "We couldn't risk searching every floor. Koenig's men are searching every hotel in Budapest. Marja never told us where to find him beyond the Grand Budapest."

Rooms. Howard Stark's room. What had he and Marja said? Marja had slipped her the knife and told her where she'd be safe. For her own protection? Because she knew that the Germans were on to her already? Whatever the reason, Marja had given her the key.

"Room 462," Anna whispered. "Stark is in room 462."

"Are you certain?" The older man asked, gripping her shoulder tightly, forcing her to face him. The wrinkles ran deep across his forehead and he smelled of woods and sweat. She wondered how someone so old had held up in the woods for so long. _If he can survive, perhaps Father…_

"I'm certain. Mar…" It took effort to say her name without breaking down. "Marja told me that if I was ever in danger, that's where I should go. It has to be where Stark is."

The old man nodded. "Inge, we'll go?"

The woman nodded.

"Hey, now wait a second-" Élías protested, but was quickly interrupted.

"We're all feeling Marja's loss, you most of all, Élí. Mattias and I will go. If we're not back in two hours, you need to get out," Inge added, kissing Élías once more before turning back to Anna. "Is there anyone…"

Anna hesitated. These people had risked too much to save her. But if they could pass a message to Stark…

"Tell Stark that I'm safe. And tell him to tell Jarvis the same."

Inge nodded, and the duo walked to the door, followed closely by Élías. As she sat down on the lone chair at the table, she heard their hushed whispers in the hallway. A brief glance revealed a final kiss between Inge and Élías before they walked away.

"I'm sorry about your father and brother, Anna," Élías said as he returned, sitting on the kitchen counter near the broken window.

"I'm sorry about Marja," Anna replied.

What more was there to say? She had spent the last of her tears in the alley. Élías made no move to continue their conversation, to question her involvement or who Jarvis was.

They waited in silence for Inge and Mattias to return.

OOO

She fell asleep in the kitchen chair, sprawled across the table, reliving her last conversation with Marja in her head. _Who's going to protect you? I assume whoever's going to be protecting you when Howard Stark leaves with the rest of them._

Marja had no one to protect her. Had she not been so caught up in her misery, in her fear, in Edwin, would Marja have brought her into the fold? Would they have been together? Could she have protected her best friend?

No, she would have been dead too. Both of them shot or hung or tortured for information, by the Arrow Cross Party or the Nazis. By Jürgen, who hadn't left Hungary - and that was an altogether different question. Admiral Horthy had kept the Nazis out until now, their alliance tenuous and threatened, but not broken. Why was Jürgen, a soldier of the German army, seeking out resistance members and Jews in Budapest?

Élías has been kind enough to toss one of the moth-eaten blankets across her lap. By the time she awoke, the sun was beaming through the broken window- too bright, too happy, too joyful considering the tragedy of the past few days.

Inge and Mattias had returned with one word.

Sunday.

OOO

"They're late," Mattias grumbled, pacing before the door. Freshly cleaned and shaved, Anna had come to realize he was much younger than he first appeared- perhaps just a few years older than Edwin or her brother.

"We can't panic," Élías replied gruffly from his spot on the kitchen counter, placing the last of his mug of watery tea into the sink where Anna was washing dishes. She needed to keep her hands, her mind busy. The waiting was excruciating. "It's only been half an hour."

"Marja was only half an hour late, and look what happened to her," Matthias snapped back.

His face paled immediately, realizing what he said, as Élías jumped down from the counter and charged across the room. "Don't you DARE talk about her like that. _You're_ the one who sent her back for one more shipment, _you're_ the one who talked her into this."

"Élías, don't-" Anna started, dropping the mug she was washing into the sink. Though he clearly hadn't meant to instigate the fight- thirty-six hours in a freezing, two room apartment with limited rations, knowing Jürgen was hunting all of them had worn all their nerves thin- Mattias was not backing down. She grabbed Élías's arm to try and stop the fight, only to be shoved back into the counter.

"She was willing to go," Mattias shouted, his face just inches from Élías's. "She was willing to fight. You both knew the risks coming in-"

"She was my _SISTER_ , Mattias!" He threw a wild punch that Mattias easily dodged, pushing Élías back towards the door.

"And she was my friend!"

"And you'll both be joining her in the grave if you don't stop!" Inge shouted, stepping out of the second room and separating the two men easily. She was tougher than she looked, Élías's wife.

Wife. The word felt so strange in relation to Marja's brother. He couldn't be older than 20 now, barely out of school, yet here he was- soldier, strategist, husband. And Inge was even younger, orphaned in the earliest days of the Anschluss, running messages and guns between resistance outposts in Austria and Hungary for two years.

This war had changed them all irrevocably.

"We can't go on fighting like this. Did you two ever stop and think that they might try and tear us apart like this? Make us weak so we'll be easier to catch? If Stark doesn't show up, we'll leave. There's nothing we can do if Stark got himself arrested and kill-"

There was a knock on the door.

The fight was forgotten. Mattias and Élías drew their guns, while Inge hustled Anna into the second room. If need be, they could break through the window and escape down the rickety fire escape. With baited breath, she waited with Inge for the patterned knock she'd been taught over the past two days.

Two taps, a pause, three taps, a pause, one tap. A signal that friends had arrived.

She heard the door open, followed by a whistle from Élías that it was all clear.

"What took you so long?" she heard Mattias demand. Howard Stark's face was set in a grim expression, his clothes no longer finely tailored, but rather more similar to what Mattias and Élías wore. The absence of his over-the-top, lackadaisical attitude and constant smirk was disconcerting.

"What took me so long? What do you think?" Stark snapped. Pulling off his jacket, he tossed it across the table and ripped into the lining. He removed four pistols and several boxes of what Anna assumed was ammunition.

"Koenig?" Élías asked, echoing Anna's own thoughts.

Stark laughed bitterly. "That's the least of our problems."

"Did the talks fall apart?" Inge chimed in, arms crossed across her chest and a no-nonsense look on her face.

"You really haven't heard, have you?" Stark took his hat off his head, rubbing his forehead before looking at the rest of them.

"Heard _what?_ " Mattias's frustration would not be held at bay anymore.

"The peace talks are done," Stark said quietly.

Anna saw looks of excitement appear on the others' faces, but she knew better than to get her hopes up. No, there was no way this conversation ended well.

"The Americans left Budapest last night. The English will be gone by tomorrow," Stark continued, staring at the floor. He paused, as if unsure whether continuing was the right course of action. With a sigh, he looked back up, staring straight at her. "Horthy was called to Berlin to meet with Hitler. He used it as a distraction. The Nazis invaded Hungary last night."

OOO

As Élías, Inge, and Mattias began debating their next course of action, Anna returned to the second room, taking a seat on the cot. The springs squeaked as she sank into the threadbare blankets, and she thought of her bed back at her family's apartment, wondering if it was still in one piece or if it had been destroyed when the house had been searched. Were the dresses she made still hanging in the closet, her mother's few pieces of jewelery still in her father's top dresser drawer?

They were petty thoughts, so very petty and irrelevant. She had her life. She had hope that perhaps her father or brother might survive, no matter how long a shot it was. She had Edwin. That would have to be enough. Was enough.

Everything was so clear now. Jürgen's arrival, his supposed departure. He'd never really left Budapest. He'd been waiting for the arrival of his comrades, waiting to take them out- her, Marja, Edwin, Howard, all of them. Lulling them into a false sense of security, making them all think better times were just around the corner.

They had been so naive, and Marja had paid the price.

"He's not leaving without you."

Stark leaned against the door, somber, though there was a slight lift to his lips."He couldn't come with me, but he'll be here tonight. He may have found a way to get you out."

He sat down next to her, shoulders slumped. "I'm sorry for everything. I never meant to pull you into this. I never meant to get Marja killed."

She took Stark's hand in her own. "Marja would have wanted to die fighting, and she did. I know you didn't know her well, but I did. She was always the stronger of the two of us. She never hesitated. I stuck my head in the sand for so long, just hoping we'd never be noticed, that no one would hurt us. Wait it out, somehow survive, go back to normal life. And it was never really an option, was it? The war was going to drag us in, whether we went willingly or kicking and screaming. At least this way, I can say I fought to survive. I didn't let them take me away in silence."

Stark was silent as they sat holding hands, voices rising and falling in the other room. "We became friends, Marja and I, the past year we were working together. Been trafficking guns through to the resistance here, and in France and Holland. Ain't got many female friends, mostly just a trail of broken hearts back in New York. But Marja was my friend, and I see a lot of her in you. Maybe you don't see it, but you're just as brave, Anna."

His words touched her deeply, and Anna finally realized just how much he'd given up when he was drawn into the war. He was a millionaire, could have hidden out in his mansion until it ended. But he was here, brokering peace talks and running weapons to the resistance, all on his own dime.

She respected him.

"Are you alright here? I can take you back to the hotel with me…"

Anna shook her head. "No. With Jürgen hanging about, we can't risk both of us being seen going into the Grand Budapest. I'll wait here until either Edwin arrives or you send for me."

He pressed a brief kiss to the back of her hand. "I'll see you soon, kid. Take care of yourself."

OOO

Two taps, a pause, three taps, a pause, one tap.

From her spot in the bedroom, Anna perked up. Night had fallen, and after an all too brief meal of bread and cheese, Inge, Mattias, and Élías had returned to planning their escape out of Budapest back to the woods near Gyor. They had offered to take her with them, had offered her a place in their ranks, if she was willing to learn to fight.

It shocked her that she was even considering it.

She'd retreated to the back room to think it over and let them plan in peace. Anna knew she hadn't been part of their plans originally, knew she was placing extra strain on the group, especially as an outsider with no particular way of defending herself. So she hid away, watching the sun sink slowly, wondering if Stark was right and Edwin would be able to get away from what she assumed was total chaos at the Grand Budapest as the British planned their escape before the Wehrmacht arrived.

"She's in the back room," she heard Inge say. Footsteps creaked across the aged floorboards.

"Anna?"

It was him.

In a movement that could hardly be described as graceful, Anna launched herself off the bed and into Edwin's arms.

Kisses and tears would come later. In the moment, she held onto him tightly, feeling his arms lock around her as they stood in the middle of the room. Breathing in his scent, Anna sighed out of relief and sheer happiness.

"I thought I lost you," he murmured into her hair. "When I came to your house and the whole place was destroyed, I thought I lost you."

"You didn't," she replied quietly, trying to comfort him. "You didn't lose me."

"But I couldn't save Zoli and your father."

"None of us could," Anna corrected him. "They fooled everyone."

She led him back to the bed, forcing him to take a seat. "Are you alright?"

"The Grand Budapest is in a state of utter disarray. The Americans were more prepared to evacuate than us. I think we were holding onto hope… but that's neither here nor there. What matters is getting you out of here."

Anna turned to face him. "Is there a way?"

"The General is being difficult. Says that because you weren't able to warn us about the invasion, your work for us wasn't worth promising a visa. It's utterly daft."

Anna felt her stomach drop. Was she trapped here? If his general refused to sign the papers, she couldn't leave. "They offered to take me with them. Back to Gyor. If you can't get me out, I have a place with the resistance fighters."

"No! That won't be necessary. There's one way the general can't refuse us."

"What's that?"

Edwin reached into his pocket, pulled out a small box, and handed it to her. With a look of confusion, Anna took it from him and opened it.

Her mother's wedding ring.

* * *

 **A/N: Hope you enjoyed this chapter- reviews and con crit are always appreciated!**


	6. Endings

**Hey all! Sorry, sorry, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up! Reading through this section, I realized I really hated how I originally had this going, so the ending of the story has gone through a complete overhaul. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"What… where… how did you…?" Anna's hands shook as she stared at the familiar box, the first piece of home she'd seen in days. The obvious question he had been asking went ignored as she stared at the piece of jewelry she'd thought was lost forever.

"I had to find you. When I heard the Germans were invading, when I heard they were in your house… I wasn't thinking. I snuck out of the Grand Budapest to the apartment. There wasn't much left-"

"I didn't think there would be," Anna sighed, suppressing the thin thread of hope she had that some part of her life might remain intact.

"I grabbed everything I could. Some pictures, clothes, Zoli's violin. They took most of the jewelry, but they missed this in the back of your father's wardrobe."

Taking his hand, she pulled him into an embrace. "Thank you, Edwin. For everything."

She felt his lips against her temple, a gentle kiss. "I wish there was more I could do."

More he could do? What more could he do? There were no words to describe how grateful she was that he had walked into Herr Acker's shop looking for a tie. He'd given her hope that she'd survive this, hope that there might be something truly good waiting for her- for _them-_ after this war ended. How could she possibly ask him for more?

Pulling away slowly, she opened the box again. "So how does this work?" she asked, index finger running over the ring in her hand.

"Generally the man gets down on one knee and the woman says yes," Edwin replied seriously.

Peaking over at him from the corner of her eye, she saw the smirk on his face. She allowed a smile to pass over her own lips for the first time in days. With a gentle slap to his arm, she replied, "I _know_ how an engagement works, Edwin. Are you actually suggesting we get married after knowing each other… what, a month? That would be…"

"Insane," Edwin finished. "We already forged the documents, Howard and I. You and I will sign the papers, the General will give his approval, and Howard will fly you to England when he leaves tonight."

England. In less than twenty-four hours she would be safe in England with—

"With Howard? What about you?"

"I can't leave my post," he said softly, turning to face her. He held her hands tightly in his own. "We'll be leaving for England a few hours before you. I'll be there to meet you when you arrive. I haven't figured out where you'll stay once you're there, but Howard has several flats in London—"

"We'll figure it out," Anna interrupted quickly. "We've made it this far, what's a few more uncertainties along the way?"

"Indeed," Edwin replied, the look on his face stuck somewhere between awe and confusion.

She took the forged marriage license and the pen he offered and signed her name without a second thought. His was already penned beside her's, elegantly scripted in black ink. Two names were on the lines below, imaginary witnesses to a marriage that never occurred.

Handing it back to him, he stood, folded the paper, and put it in the pocket of his overcoat.

"I'll be back tonight with Howard. Jürgen isn't the only soldier patrolling the streets anymore. The Arrow Cross Party is everywhere, and the Wehrmacht is starting to filter in. We'll need the cover of darkness on our side. If we're not here by dawn, you have to leave with Élias. Promise me-"

"I promise," Anna replied quietly, before adding, "But I know you'll make it."

"Of course I will. My mum would simply murder me if she found out I left my bloody wife in the middle of a war zone. Until this evening, Mrs. Jarvis," he said with a wink and a kiss. She felt another laugh escape her lips again, despite the imminent danger of crossing Budapest. Somehow, Edwin knew exactly how to calm her nerves.

"I'll be right here waiting for you."

As he strode toward the door, he froze in his path before turning to face her again. "One day, when the world isn't falling down around us, we'll do this for real." He pointed to the paper in his pocket.

She smiled, heart leaping into her throat. "I'll hold you to it," she said softly, closing the door behind him.

OOO

"You're sure about this? England?" Élias asked softly, passing Anna a cup of watered-down, lukewarm coffee. "I know it's the wise choice, Anna, but your family-"

"Is likely gone." The words were devastating to say, but she wasn't going to delude herself. "And if they're not gone, they'll return to Budapest after the war. There are ways to find them. My father would not want me to die waiting."

"Then come with us. Don't run away, fight for your family, for your country!" Mattias interrupted with a growl. She wondered if Mattias had always been this short tempered and gruff, or if the war had caused this.

"And what? Die fighting for a country that won't fight for me?" Anna replied incredulously, bitterness seeping into her voice as she thought through each of her options. "A country that will no longer exist when this war is over? We have no army, it was decimated in Stalingrad. Anything Horthy did to protect the Jews before is gone with his power. And the resistance in Poland, France, Holland? What have they gained? Small victories over the Nazis that haven't stopped their stampede across Europe. Hungary's only hope was England and the United States, and even _they_ are on the run, Mattias. They are running and their armies can't reach us. So who will save us? The resistance? No. Russia? No. Stalin purged the Jews. You all are dissidents- how can they trust you won't try to rebel when Russian rule is imposed? You'll end up in dead or in Siberian work camps. So what are my options? I go with you and fight or I stay here and wait. Either way, I'm dead. I'm grateful to you all, and if Edwin doesn't make it, then I _will_ go with you and fight. But I'll take my chances with England first."

Her rant seemed to shut Mattias up, and he stormed out of the room, slamming the door to the second room behind him. She'd learned these past few days that it was better to leave the older man alone, rather than try to reason with him.

"Ignore him, Anna. You're doing the right thing," Élias said quickly as the echo of the door faded around them. She felt Inge pat her on the shoulder gently as she passed on her way to the sink. "You've been through so much—"

"As have you!" Anna interrupted indignantly. She didn't want pity, she wanted understanding. To leave Hungary with her family's fate in question felt like a betrayal. And yet, it was her only option.

"Let me finish. You've been like a sister to me since we were young, and I would send you to the country to wait out the end of the war with my parents if I thought you'd be safe. But you're right. Even if the war ended tomorrow, there's no guarantee that any of us will be safe in Hungary. So our paths diverge here for now, Anna Zellner, and God willing, they'll cross again someday."

She prayed that they did. Because while Edwin might be her new home, Élias was the only piece of her childhood Anna had left.

OOO

A mist had fallen over Budapest, light rain puddling on the street, mixing with the melted snow. The droplets that hit the kitchen window traced delicate patterns through the grime before seeping through the cracks in the glass. Anna would be glad to leave this place, despite it being her safe haven over the past few days.

"Remember, if anything happens on your way to the Grand Budapest, you run, Anna." Élias said softly, pacing in front of Anna, the floorboards creaking in time with his steps. "Head west for the forests, head towards Gyor. Hide wherever you can and keep moving. When you reach Gyor, go immediately to the Kreszta Ház. Tell the bartender you're looking for Chaim Boros. He'll make sure you reach us."

"You think I'd survive that long on my own?" Anna asked skeptically from her spot leaning against the apartment door, gazing over at Mattias and Inge. They sat at the kitchen table mapping the journey they'd take that night with the last of the weapons Howard Stark had delivered. Inge was turning her pistol over in her hands, checking once and then again to ensure it was loaded and ready.

"I think you could survive anything, Anna," Élias replied with a hint of a boyish smile. "I mean, you survived being friends with my big sister for twenty-nine years. What could possibly be more difficult?" They shared a small smile, the first time since they'd been reunited that they could discuss Marja without tears.

Outside the doors, she could hear footsteps coming up the stairs. They both froze, waiting for the knock.

Two taps. A pause. Three taps. A pause. One tap.

Edwin and Stark had arrived.

"We don't have much time," Edwin said as he entered, kissing Anna before moving to shake Élias's hand.

"We brought you supplies for your journey back to Gyor," Stark added, heading to toward the table where Inge and Mattias sat with two heavy rucksacks. "Food and water, some extra ammunition. Whatever we could spare."

"Thank you," Inge replied as Mattias dug through the bag, taking stock of what they had. "We have messages for you to bring back with you. Factory and bridge coordinates. I'll get them for you."

As they waited, Élias took her hand. "You're sure, Anna?"

Anna nodded. "Absolutely." She paused, studying Élias's face carefully. He looked lost… almost scared? The little boy she once knew was back, not the man forced to grow up to soon. "Stay safe, Élias."

She pulled him into a hug, holding the boy tightly against her. "I don't want to lose you too, Anna," he said softly, and she could have sworn she heard a sniffle. "If anything happens to you—"

"I'll head for Gyor," she replied.

Goodbyes were brief from there. A nod and a scowl from Mattias, a swift embrace from Inge. Stark and Edwin shook hands with the others, exchanging a few words, a mutual prayer that each group would arrive safely.

She saved Élias for last. "You stay alive for me, alright?"

"Only if you promise to do the same," Élias shot back.

"I will, Éli. I promise I will."

They exchanged one last hug before Edwin took her hand, leading her toward the door. Steeling herself, she squeezed his hand, earning a nervous but genuine smile in return. Only a few more hours stood between her and a new life – so long as she kept her promise to stay alive.

OOO

"Take this, kid," Howard whispered through the raindrops, pressing cold steel into her hand as they stood watching the street from the edge of an alleyway. The roads were abandoned, save for the stray cats, half-starved dogs, and piles of rubble. The storm had moved in completely, rain coming down harder now, and curfew was in effect – only the truly desperate or truly stupid were willing to risk death to cross the city.

Anna slipped the gun into her pocket, praying she wouldn't have to use it. It was too late to learn how to shoot now. The metal clanged as it hit the bottom of the fabric. She jumped at the noise, watching as Howard leapt back from the edge of the alley in surprise. Tension mounted as they waited for footsteps in the darkness, a sign that her thoughtless action had given them away. Anna stuffed her hand into the fabric to find out what made the noise.

Marja's knife.

This… this she could work with. She knew what to do with this. Anna pulled the knife from her pocket, unfolding it, ready to stab anyone who tried to stop them.

"We'll be alright, love," she heard Edwin mumble, warm breath brushing over her ear as they waited, waited, waited. She turned long enough to give him a tenuous smile in agreement.

Two more minutes and they were off. The rain clouds hid the moon, giving them no semblance of time nor light to guide them as they inched through the back roads of Budapest. Howard led the way, a covert path mapped out in his head, while Edwin followed behind her, their hands still clasped together tightly.

They wove through the familiar streets, doubling back to cover their trail, cutting through abandoned lots and dilapidated buildings to avoid the prying eyes behind curtained windows. Although the city had sometimes seemed so cramped to Anna when she was a little girl, tonight the distance between buildings seemed infinite, leaving them open to attack from any side. Her clothes were soaked through, the sodden fabric a weight that made her want to slow down, rest, just stay in the shadows until she melted into the street…

No. That was not an option. She willed herself on, one street to another, faster and faster and faster until—

The bright lights of the Grand Budapest emerged suddenly, a solitary blaze cutting through the darkness.

"Through the back entrance," Howard whispered. "I've arranged to have it left open."

He hustled them across the street, down a narrow roadway that led to the employee's entrance. "Quick—"

A crack in the darkness cut Howard off, a gunshot in the distance. It was followed by another, then another.

"Élias," Anna whimpered. Although logic told her that there could be any number of people sneaking across Budapest in the dead of night, her heart went immediately to the only other people she knew for certain were out there.

"We don't know for certain, love. It could be anyone," Edwin comforted her, saying the exact words she needed to hear.

"Indeed it could," a new voice added behind them "Perhaps next it will be you."

Jürgen.

OOO

In hindsight, Anna recognized that their plan had been flawed to begin with. They knew the hotels of Budapest were being searched for Howard Stark, knew that Jürgen was looking for her and that he was well aware of her place of employment. They should have gone immediately to the airfield, could have met Edwin's comrades there. The last place they should have gone was the Grand Budapest.

And yet, it had never been a question that they would return to site where this whole ordeal had begun.

"Drop the knife, Fräulein Zellner," Jürgen commanded, his voice icy and unfeeling, his revolver pointing directly at her head. At his side were two members of the Arrow Cross party, expressionless, heavily armed, and ready to shoot at a moment's notice. Nodding at Edwin and Stark, he continued, "And the guns."

The weapons clattered to the ground as they stood silently, hands held up in surrender. The gun in her pocket quickly followed, Jürgen's keen eye not missing the weight pulling down her soaked coat. Guilt swept over Anna as she realized that, not only were they caught, but every American and Englishman left in this hotel would likely be doomed due to their foolish decision. She wanted to cry, scream out in frustration, throw up, react in some way, but it almost felt as if her spirit had escaped her body and was watching the scene play out before her. There was nothing left in her.

"You two, take Herr Stark back to headquarters for questioning," Jürgen continued.

Stark was silent as he was unceremoniously grabbed, one man roughly wrenching his arm as the other pressed a gun into his back. Sharing a look with her and Edwin, she could see the fear in his eyes, whether for his fate or theirs's, she wasn't sure. In her heart, Anna knew Stark would be alright. He was a bargaining chip at the best, a chess piece to trade for imprisoned German commanders – he knew too many secret, his country would do anything to get him back alive. At the worst he'd be tortured for information, put in a prisoner camp. But he would survive.

Unlike her and Edwin.

"Up against the wall, Fraulein Zellner."

Her head was spinning. He wasn't even going to question them? Why wouldn't he question them? They could have information, army positions, inroads into the resistance, something that could help the Wehrmacht as they invaded Hungary. He was just going to kill them here?

"You too Lefkowitz! Against the wall!" Jürgen shouted, losing patience when they didn't move. Anna stared at the wall as she walked toward it, wondering at the pattern her blood would make when it splattered again it. With a glance up at Edwin, she took his hand.

"Don't look at him," he said softly, sadness in his eyes. "Look at me."

She nodded, raising his hand to her lips for a brief kiss. It would have to serve as goodbye.

"Anna Zellner and Hans Lefkowitz, for crimes against the Third Reich and the Hungarian Government, you are hereby sentenced to death."

She glanced back at Jürgen once, long enough to see him raise his gun.

"Look at me," Edwin repeated again, softly. "I love you."

"I love y—"

A shot erupted outside the alley and all hell broke loose.

* * *

 **Holy heck, it's been crazy lately. Work and real life has been kicking my but! Here's hoping I'll have what I think will be the last chapter up before Thanksgiving! Thanks again for reading and please leave a review!**


	7. Loss

**Just one more chapter after this one! Wrapping up this chapter as my husband has a literal nervous breakdown over the Broncos-Patriots game (Broncos are now beating the Patriots with a minute left - he may be crying tears of joy). As always, I don't own the wonderful characters of Agent Carter and the Marvel Universe. I can only hope that little vestiges of my Anna show up on Agent Carter this season!**

* * *

"Anna, get DOWN!"

The gunfire offered them a split second of confusion, the briefest moment to fight back. Jürgen's head turned away from them ever so slightly as the gunshot echoed through the alley, and Edwin launched himself off the wall, tackling him from behind. The Wehrmacht soldier's gun clattered against the pavement, falling from his hand at the force of the impact.

Crouched down against the brick, melting into a hidden corner formed by the wall and a garbage bin, Anna watched as the two men fought. Though Edwin briefly had the advantage, smashing Jürgen's face into the gravel and landing a hard blow to the center of his back, the other man quickly overcame the shock of the attack, elbowing Edwin in the face so hard that Anna could hear the crack from her corner of the alley. Another shove and Edwin hit the brick, collapsing. Blood poured out of his nose as Jürgen scrambled to recover his gun.

Outside the alley, Anna heard shouts – the soldiers, she assumed, as she would have recognized Howard's voice. Any minute, they'd attract the attention of the rest of the Arrow Cross guards and Wehrmacht soldiers patrolling the street. Curfew had passed hours ago, ensuring they'd all be arrested or worse. With Edwin unconscious and Howard out of reach or dead, she was their only chance.

She had to save herself.

Inching away from the wall, remaining in the shadow of the garbage bin, she edged her way toward the knife. The gravel and debris that littered the ground dug into her knees as she crawled, desperately trying to keep Jürgen from noticing her. Arm outstretched, she was just inches from reaching into the light, inches from grasping the knife. Jürgen was back on his feet, gun in hand. He had forgotten about her, hadn't even considered her a threat. He lifted an arm, gun outstretched, aimed directly at Edwin's head. Finger moving toward the trigger, it was now or never.

Anna grabbed the knife off the ground and threw herself at Jürgen, stabbing desperately, over and over.

The gun fired into the air as she yanked the knife out and pushed it in again. Jürgen turned toward her to fight back, but she would not allow him to win. Flailing, stabbing, flailing some more. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the precise amount of force required to break the skin, the sound of another shot ringing out, a sharp burning sensation in her shoulder.

Then she was back on the ground, Jürgen hovering above her, both of them covered in blood. He was unsteady on his feet, swaying in the evening breeze.

"If you're going to kill me, at least let me look you in the eye," Anna said softly, pushing herself to her feet. She felt lightheaded.

"A hero's death for… for a Jewish whore?" Jürgen rasped, gasping for breath. "You'll die in the dirt like your father and brother."

As his finger reached again for the trigger, she didn't flinch, she didn't hide. Anna stared down the soldier, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of watching her cower in her last moments.

A fourth and final gunshot echoed through the alley.

She was still alive.

OOO

"Anna!"

She had no idea how long had passed since Jürgen had collapsed, sending his final shot ricocheting off the bricks above her head. The world was spinning, she couldn't get enough air. Her eyes hadn't moved from the body lying still on the pavement, blood from the stab wounds she inflicted pooling around it.

He was so still…

"Anna!" Howard shouted again, closer this time, breaking through the haziness that surrounded her. She swayed ever so slightly and grabbed his arm in a desperate attempt to steady herself.

"Go help Edwin," Howard commanded the second person that followed him into the alley, though it was too dark to determine who it was. "C'mon Anna, you gotta look at me, kid."

"I… I killed him. He's dead, isn't he?" she managed to gasp, trying desperately to breathe normally.

"We both killed someone tonight, sweetheart. It was either them or us, you know that."

She knew that. It didn't mean she had to like it.

Anna felt Howard prying open her hand, forcing her to drop the knife. It was covered in blood – at some point she must have grabbed the blade instead of the handle, slicing her hand open. She watched the blood drip, drip, drip, glad to have something new to focus on other than Jürgen's body. "We've gotta find you something to wrap this with."

"Edwin?"

"Your friend is helping him. The man saved my life." Howard nodded toward the second person moving in the shadows, busy ripping his own shirt apart and wrapping the scraps around her palm. She saw Edwin stirring on the ground, accepting the hand that was being offered. Relief flooded her.

"My friend?" she asked, confused.

Stepping out of the shadows, she saw Edwin leaning heavily on Herr Acker.

"I was here late – paperwork, you know how it is. As I was leaving I saw you entering the alley, then Jürgen and his men. My dear girl, I will never forgive myself for bringing _him_ into your life."

"But Jürgen… he was –"

"Not the boy I knew," Herr Acker replied, the frown on his face deepening the wrinkles on his forehead. He looked so terribly old in that moment, nothing like the jovial man with whom she'd spent the past few years. "The Jürgen I knew was a little boy loved horseback riding and wanted to be an engineer. He was not the monster that arrived in Budapest. I tried… I tried to reach him. Find that little boy. But I lived through the last war, saw my friends die in the trenches. You've become like a daughter to me in the time we've spent together. I was not going to allow war to destroy another life, especially yours."

Stepping forward tentatively, legs wobbling like jelly, she embraced the old man. "Thank you." She wished she had more words, but when she felt Herr Acker tighten his hold, she knew it was enough.

"We need to go," Howard said softly. "You'll bring Edwin back to his men?"

Herr Acker nodded. "And you'll take my car to the airfield. I'll change my clothes in the shop and destroy these," he replied, indicating the blood on his shirt. "Once the British delegation leaves, I'll call in the crime. No one will know I was involved." He looked between Anna and Edwin, a smile appearing on his face. "Shall I show you how to start the car, Howard?"

Herr Acker was too soft hearted for his own good and a terrible liar. She was grateful for it. He released Edwin's arm, and she took it in his stead. "One minute, Anna," Howard said before the two exited the alley.

"Edwin-"

"Anna-"

They started simultaneously, before both stopping, waiting for a sign to go on. Gently, Edwin touched the bullet hole in her sleeve, blood soaking into the already wet fabric where the bullet had grazed her shoulder. "You're bleeding."

"So are you."

He pulled away, steadier on his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Honestly? No," Anna answered, shaky and hesitating, before adding quickly, "But I will be."

She pulled him down so that she could see the back of his head. A large bump was rising where he hit the wall.

"It's nothing," Edwin stated, interrupting her thoughts. She ignored his words, continuing to look him over for any and every injury. "Anna, love, we don't have time for this now. At least give me a chance to kiss the girl properly before we fly off into the sunrise. Though in the movies, they're normally on the same plane—"

The force of her lips meeting his effectively shut him up. She didn't want to think of them being separated again, of the fact that they had – once again – barely managed to escape with their lives. "Just a few more hours," she muttered between kisses, each one shorter than the next, trying to memorize the feel of his lips on hers.

"A few more hours," he repeated, pulling away. "I meant what I said, you know. I do love you, Anna Zellner."

"I lo—"

"Anna let's go!" Howard hissed from the front of the alley.

"Tell me when we get home," Edwin said with a small smile before kissing her one last time, leading her to Herr Acker's car. Her former boss gave her one last hug and a kiss on the top of the head, before helping her into the car, Howard already seated in the driver's seat.

Home.

As she settled into the seat, the engine of the car rumbling softly, she took one last glance around the darkened streets of Budapest. This city was unfamiliar, lonely, tainted with the blood of her family and friends - the real city, the Budapest she knew as a child, was only a memory. Home would be in England with Edwin and whatever remnant of her family she could find after the war. Closing her eyes, there was no doubt in her mind what the first words out of her mouth would be upon their reunion.

OOO

"C'mon, kid, you gotta wake up!" Howard grumbled, pulling her from her sleep. Every part of her body hurt, and she let out a whimper as she tried to sit up, a burning pain shooting through her arm. "Anna, what's wrong? Is it your hand?" He sounded frantic.

"Shoulder. And hand," she whispered, allowing Howard to help her stand. He looked over her arm, and she realized her coat was gone, as was the sleeve of the shirt she'd been wearing. Both her hand and her shoulder were wrapped tightly with clean gauze, though she could see some blood starting to come through the bandage on her hand.

"We've gotta get you cleaned up before we land."

"Land?"

"Look around ya, sweetheart. We're not in Kansas anymore."

She stared back at him blankly. "Kansas?"

"We'll catch you up on that later. We're a half-hour from landing in England. It's an RAF airfield manned by friends, but I'm pretty sure they'll ask questions if you walk in covered in blood." Howard held out his arms to her, revealing a pile of clothes she recognized from her closet. "Ed figured you'd need these."

"Thank you, Howard," she replied softly, pressing a kiss against his cheek. "For everything."

An unexpected blush spread across his cheeks. "Ain't a problem. I wouldn't be alive if it wasn't for the two of you. This doesn't even start to repay that." Anna tried to interrupt, but he held a hand up. "No, I mean that. Now, don't move your arm too much, if you can avoid it. I bandaged your shoulder and hand, but we're gonna have to get you to a real doc when we're on the ground. I had Jim – he's my pilot – radio ahead, and Edwin and his men landed a few hours ago. We did it, kid."

As he stepped through the door to rejoin the pilot, Anna took in the view of the ocean through the thin windows of the metal tube. With a sigh of relief, she began stripping out of her blood stained, rain sodden clothes. They did it.

OOO

The expansive field on which they landed was outside of London, less than an hour's drive from Howard's apartment. Though the grass was still browned, both from the recently melted snow and the constant use by the RAF, and the buildings looked less than sturdy, Anna found it… well, a bit depressing, to be honest, but altogether sublime.

She was safe.

"You need a hand down the stairs?" Howard asked as she stood in the doorway of the plane, taking in her newfound freedom.

"I'll manage," she replied, clinging to the railing of the rickety stairs that led from the door to the ground. It was a slow process, but she wanted to take her first steps in her new country on her own terms – and she did, contemplating whether kissing the ground beneath her feet would be too melodramatic.

She settled on sharing a grin with Howard.

"Wanna go find your boyfriend?" he asked with a wink.

"Husband," Anna corrected him sternly. "I'd prefer if you didn't destroy our cover story five seconds after we arrive."

"Of course, Mrs. Jarvis," Howard replied with a smirk, offering his arm. "But you know, if you don't want to make it official…"

"No."

It took some time to cross the field, the lack of a pathway combining with her body rebelling against her to prevent any sort of quick movement. Swinging the door open, the warmth from the simple wooden building rushed over her. Someone had an old stove burning, the smell of charred wood permeating the room.

A single glance around the room, however, did not reveal Edwin.

"Stark?" A mustachioed man with a red cap and arm in a sling stepped out from a second room, a smile on his face and a cup of tea in his hand. He welcomed Howard back – she knew enough English to recognize that – and Howard greeted him in return, calling him Pinky.

Leaning into Howard, she whispered, "I thought Edwin was meeting us here?"

As she looked up, she met the suspicious eyes of Pinky. German. She should have known better, of course the other man was suspicious. But Howard kept speaking, squeezing her hand to acknowledge her words. She heard Howard say her name, and then Edwin's. Whatever he said, it seemed to break the ice. Pinky pointed at his cup of tea and then to her. She nodded, and Howard led her over to a bench near the fire.

"I'm gonna talk to Pinky in private. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll get this sorted out."

Sorted out?

"What do you mean—"

But Howard and Pinky were already back in the other room, door closed.

The minutes passed slowly as she waited for the two men to return. Several other men and women dashed between rooms, arms laden with files, though none seemed to notice her sitting alone by the stove. For the first time since they landed, she felt her stomach sinking and dread fill her.

Something had happened. She knew it.

As a pretty brunette in civilian clothes emerged to add an extra log to the fire, Pinky and Howard emerged from the back room. Pinky handed her a cup of piping hot tea with a strained smile. He said something, before patting her gently on her unbandaged shoulder.

"Pinky says it's from his special stash. Said it seemed like you needed it."

Anna waited for Howard's trademark smile, but it never came.

"Where's Edwin, Howard? Please."

"There's no easy way…" Howard shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "In prison. He's in military prison."

Anna just barely kept the cup from falling to the ground, the tea sloshing over the sides. "What do you mean he's in prison?"

"He collapsed from his injuries on the flight over. When the medic was looking him over, they found your papers. He forged the general's name on your letter of transit. Anna, they're accusing him of treason."

* * *

 **That's a wrap for chapter 7. Next chapter? The conclusion of our story! Feedback and comments are always greatly appreciated!**


	8. Beginnings

**Disclaimer: Still ain't mine!**

* * *

"Bring me to the general, Howard. Let me explain what happened. I won't let Edwin give up his freedom for mine. That wasn't the agree—ow!"

The woman who was stitching her shoulder wound – a serious brunette wielding a long, thin needle- gave her a look, before speaking to Howard.

"Pam says to, and I quote, 'Sit bloody still.'" Howard translated.

Easy to say when you weren't the one with a bullet wound in your shoulder. Easy to say when the man who saved your life, the man you were in love with, wasn't in jail.

"You have to bring me –"

"I _can't,_ Anna," Howard replied, running a hand through his hair. "Believe me, if I thought that would work, I would have driven straight to the jail itself, kicked down the door, and demanded they release Ed."

"Well, why can't we?" Anna demanded, frustration growing in her with each refusal from Howard and each pull of the thread by Pam.

"Because I can't guarantee they won't arrest you and ship you back to Hungary!" Howard shouted, springing off the sofa. The finger of bourbon he'd been sipping fell to the floor, the shattered glass and ice skittering across the wood in all directions. "You're here illegally, Anna. _No one_ can know you're here."

Her mouth snapped closed, breath catching in her throat. They would send her back? Just like that, send her to certain death? Certainly the British were not that unfeeling, were not that unaware of the desperate situation of the Jews in mainland Europe. After everything, _everything,_ it could all be for nothing. If she was seen by the wrong person…

"You let Pinky see me. And her," she nodded toward Pam, wondering if the hot meal she'd enjoyed a few minutes ago was going to stay in her churning stomach.

"That's because I can trust them."

"Sure you can trust them. But can I?"

Mutual trust never assured anything. There were stories. Supposed friends selling others out for a handful of coins and a promise of regular meals.

"'Course you can, Anna. They're with me." The doubtful look she gave him clearly registered, because Howard continued with a sigh. "They're friends of a friend. Part of an international military squadron that I work with, not the British military. I trust them with my life, you can trust them with yours. I promise. I wouldn't let anything happen to you. You have to believe me."

Pushing her newest fears aside, she knew Howard wouldn't betray her trust. How could she doubt one of the two people that stood by her side? "I do believe you."

Howard smiled, holding out his hand to her. She took it, giving it a gentle squeeze. "It's you and me together in this, kid. Nothin's gonna happen to you on my watch. And we're gonna find a way to get Ed out. Once I know more, there are people… I'm owed a few favors. We'll get both of you safe and settled."

OOO

The bed in the guest bedroom of Howard Stark's posh London flat, Anna could only assume, was more for show than for actual use. The cheeky grin and wink he'd thrown Pam as she'd wrapped the last bandage and packed up her kit was enough evidence of that. Still, it was comfortable, and Anna sank into the blankets and mattress, her exhausted body giving in to sleep within seconds.

She awoke to grey skies, gasping for breath as she remembered drowning in a pool of her own blood, Jürgen's face staring down at her with a cruel smirk.

Anna wasn't surprised by the nightmares. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew that, after everything, she had not escaped unscathed. But the feel of Jürgen's hands on her neck, pushing her down deeper and deeper into the thick liquid, lingered as she stepped into the bathroom and prepared to face another day of uncertainty.

Entering the kitchen, the smell of meat - real, fresh meat – filled the air. Steak, eggs, and fresh bread and milk were spread across the table, and steam was rising from the coffee cups on the counter.

Howard stood from the table, a piece of half-bit bread hanging from his mouth. "Mornin' Anna" she barely understood through the food. With a swallow, he handed her a cup of coffee and indicated the other men at the table. "You remember Pinky?"

She nodded, giving the man a smile as she sipped her coffee.

"And that fellow over there is Erich Koenig."

The man smiled, waving his free arm cheerfully, the other attached to his chest in a sling. " _Hallo!"_

The coffee cup hit the floor, her hands shaking uncontrollably. He was German, the accent gave it away. Koenig, the same last name as Jürgen. Her nightmare came back to her, strong hands tightening, pushing her down, down, down into the pool of blood…

"Howard—"

She knew there had to be a reason the German was here. That he wouldn't be here if he wasn't Howard's friend. Blood was rushing to her head, swooshing past her ears. She had to calm down. Breathe normally. She was no longer in Hungary, she was safe, she was –

" _Sie töteten meine Schwester,"_ Eric said gently, standing from his place at the table. "Two years ago. She was in the resistance and they caught her with Wehrmacht troop positions. My little sister didn't even get a trial. She was lined up for execution with the rest of her friends, and I had to watch. I defected."

There was deep sadness in his voice, honesty in his eyes, and Anna felt wholly ashamed that a name and an accent had thrown her into such despair. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, grabbing a towel off the back of a chair to clean up the coffee.

Howard pulled it away, helping her into a seat before bending down to clean up the mess himself. "My fault. Shouldn't have sprung that on you."

Eric came around the table to take the seat next to her. He was a heavier man with glasses and round cheeks covered in blond stubble. "When Howard called last night, I thought perhaps I could help. You don't speak English?"

"A bit… just a bit." Anna replied, spearing a piece of beef with her fork. "But I'd like to learn more."

"Then perhaps I could teach you? It's hell sitting around HQ doing nothing all day. I'm on rest and recovery for several weeks until my arm is healed. We could work together."

"I'd like that," Anna replied emphatically. She couldn't just wait helplessly for Howard to bring good news. No, she'd learn English. And when Edwin returned, she'd greet him at the door in his own language. She'd find a job, or even start her own shop again, go back to designing and creating. "I'd like that very much."

"Fantastic!" Howard chimed in over a mouthful of eggs. "We're going to track down General Montgomery and find out where Ed's being held. If we're lucky, by tonight, we'll have him home safe and sound!"

OOO

The phone call came through a little after six, just as the sun was setting. Eric had left over an hour ago, their English lesson difficult, but successful. Moira, Howard's housekeeper, had been kind enough to bring her a plate of dinner – chicken and gravy, fresh vegetables, and yeast rolls.

She picked up the phone. "Any news?"

"We found him. He's at a prison in Colchester awaiting trial," Howard spoke softly over the phone. "General Montgomery was no help, so we'll be taking the train tonight to see him."

"How long do you think it will take?" she asked.

"I don't know, Anna. I honestly don't know."

OOO

"Try it again, Anna," Eric said softly, pointing to the beginning of the newspaper article with his good hand. His other arm was hurting him, she could tell, as he pulled at the sling, trying to find a comfortable position. "You're nearly there, just give it another go."

She didn't know how he stayed so patient with her. Cooped up inside Howard's apartment for three and a half weeks without any word, she was restless, desperate for fresh air, to feel the wind and the sun against her skin. Opening the windows of the flat brought little relief, and though she was grateful for the companionship of Eric and Moira, she was starting to wonder if she'd traded one prison for another.

No. How could she even think that? Be so ungrateful? Here, she would not be shot in the street. Here, they wouldn't deport her to the mine fields or a labor camp. Several weeks hidden away was a cheap price to pay for freedom.

Still, just a few minutes to roam the streets…

"Anna, are you alright? Do you want to go on?" Eric asked again.

"Yes, yes of course." She sighed, trying to focus on the tiny, black print. "News broke ear… early this morning from the Ukraine, where Rus… Russian troops lib… liber… liberated? Liberated! Where Russian troops liberated Odessa."

"I thought you might enjoy that news," Eric replied with a smile. "Push them out of the Ukraine, and where are you next?"

"Hungary," Anna answered. "That's not far from Hungary."

Eric nodded. "There have been rumors that the Americans and Brit are going to open up a second front from the west. When that happens, Hitler's done. After Stalingrad, the Wehrmacht is decimated. They can't fight on two fronts. Not the news I know you've been waiting for…" His eyes fell on the phone.

"But good news nonetheless," she finished. Little victories. "Thank you Eric."

OOO

"It's been a while kid."

Five weeks and three days to be precise, since she heard from Howard Stark.

"Anything?" There was no point in formalities. She could hear the exhaustion in Howard's voice, the anxiety in her own.

"They want to make an example of him. Montgomery up and left a week and a half ago for some top secret meeting, and left me here with a bunch of jackasses with heads so far up their own asses, there's no chance of retrieving them." He paused. "Sorry. I can hear my ma rollin' over in her grave 'cause of that language."

"Have you been able to see him?" she asked.

"He's holdin' up about as well as can be expected." The silent gaps seemed to grow longer and longer. "Healed up alright from Hungary. Misses you like hell. He's more worried about you than himself."

"Of course he is. Silly man. Will you pass along a message for me?"

"Sure thing kid. As long as it ain't mushy. I don't do mushy."

"Tell him that I'm alright. I'll be alright. And I'll be right here waiting for him when he gets home."

There was more, of course, so much more that she wanted to say. But those were words she wanted to tell him herself, not pass along through Howard Stark.

They'd be far too mushy.

OOO

Seven weeks. May was halfway through, Eric was out of his sling, and the stitches in her shoulder were all but a memory. After a week of shining sun, the rain was back. Still, life continued in the streets of London while she remained trapped inside.

"I don't know what I'll do when you go back to your men, Eric," Anna said wistfully. English came much more easily to her now. Not perfect, but she'd picked it up quickly enough. Eric had brought a copy of _The Secret Garden_ , a book that was a favorite of his sister's growing up and would be perfect for practicing her English. "It'll be me and Moira stuck here, playing the waiting game."

"No news?" He asked as he gathered up the newspapers and workbooks they'd used to practice.

"It seems like there's never any news." She shrugged almost hopelessly. Last she'd heard from Howard, he'd tracked down General Montgomery, but that he was pushing back. The man was determined to see Edwin convicted of treason, though luckily, he seemed to have forgotten about Anna's existence. Her name had not been brought up once in all the debates over Edwin's supposed crimes.

Eric took her hand gently. "You must not give up, Anna. If Howard's prevented them from sentencing Edwin so far, it means there must be questions as to whether he is actually guilty of any crime. It won't be long."

"I know." She glanced up at the clock. "Nearly dinner. You should get back to your post."

"I can stay. We can keep practicing?"

She shook her head, knowing that Eric had a life outside the rooms of Howard's flat. "I'll be alright, but thank you. I'll see you tomorrow."

OOO

Darkness had fallen over London shortly after Eric left, and with Moira having the day off, Anna was left to occupy herself for the evening. She'd tucked herself into the large bay window, a cup of coffee in one hand, Eric's book in the other. Skipping from page to page, she skimmed through the words, happily realizing that the number of words she recognized was far higher than the number she didn't know.

Progress.

She wished Edwin could see her now.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that she should make dinner, but she found she wasn't that hungry. She rather watch the rain trickle down the window, the late commuters rushing to get home, the newsboys under the awning trying to keep their papers dry.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

As she moved toward the door, she realized that Eric had left one of his books behind. Anna grabbed it off the table, knowing that he'd be expected back with his unit as soon as possible. "Coming!" she called as she moved through the dining room, pulling open the door.

"Anna?"

She dropped the book.

He was drenched, his hair plastered to his face and his soaked-through hat in his hand. His cheekbones protruded from his face, and he looked gaunt. Hazel eyes were ringed with dark black circles. He was tired, hungry, and had seemingly aged a dozen years in a few short weeks.

But none of that mattered. In that moment, nothing mattered except Edwin.

"You're home."

The words came out in halting, heavily accented English, but it put a smile on his face.

"Of course I'm home. My mum would simply kill me if she found out I abandoned my new wife to enjoy the high life in jail."

Anna couldn't stop the laughter, which quickly turned to tears as she pulled him into her embrace. "You're home, you're home," she stuttered between sobs, his arms squeezing her tightly against him. She couldn't stop saying the words, as if he would disappear if she stopped announcing his return.

"For good this time, dear Anna. I promise," he said softly, somehow maneuvering them back into the apartment. She could feel his lips pressed against the top of her head. He pulled away from her, pushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "You've been practicing."

She smiled and nodded. "I'm getting there."

"Let me put on something dry and you can tell me all about it."

OOO

"I don't know what information Stark has on General Montgomery. Honestly, I don't think I want to know. I swear he mentioned the general's daughter several times. She's a lovely young lady. And engaged to a gentleman who is most definitely not Stark."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Seems about right."

Edwin chuckled, standing to add a log to the fire. He plopped back down onto the couch, pulling her into his side. "Howard's escapades notwithstanding, they dropped the treason charges and signed your paperwork – legally this time. You're safe now."

Relief flooded through her, but looking at his face, she sensed there was more to the story. "And what about you?"

"I was… I was dishonorably discharged from the army."

Anna couldn't hide the gasp. "Edwin…"

"It's alright!" he said quickly. "Anna, I wouldn't change a damn thing. I'd go to jail a dozen times over to know you're safe. You _have_ to know by now that-"

She grabbed him by the collar, pulling him into a kiss. Lukewarm coffee sloshed over the side of his coffee cup, staining her shirt, but Anna didn't care. As his mind caught up, his lips moved across hers, tongues fighting for dominance.

She pulled away. "I love you."

Two times she'd tried to tell him, and two times they'd been interrupted. It felt glorious to have those words out in open, glorious to see the happiness on his face.

The smile fell away quickly, concern etched upon his face. "It's going to be hard, Anna. With things being as they are, my service record… I don't know if I'll find a job anytime soon."

"Then I'll work. We'll get past it." she whispered.

"The wedding won't be much."

"All we need is a witness or two. I'm sure Howard has a lady friend that would be willing to make an appearance."

"I love you too, you know."

Anna smiled broadly. "I know."

And as they kissed in front of the fire, Anna knew they would be alright. There would be nightmares and worries. There would be difficult times ahead and hard truths to discover after the war ended. But they were safe, they had survived, and they were together.

It was enough.

* * *

 **I'm so sad to be finishing this story! It's crazy to think how things have changed since I first published this baby of mine. I got married. Started a new job. Began interviewing for a promotion at said new job. Life is crazy when you hit you start getting old! I'm so appreciative of all the reviews and love this story has gotten. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I have writing it. It's a part of history that I find fascinating and horrifying, and I feel is so important to be told.**

 **Anyways, just want to wish everyone a very happy holiday season and happy new year. As always, reviews are greatly appreciated - it's your last chance to leave one, so make my Christmas awesome!**

 **Thank you one and all again. Best wishes! -Jac**


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